Christmas Stollen

Baking and Desserts | German cuisine

⏳ Time

3 hours + 12 hours

🥕 Ingredients

🍽️ Servings

Description

Christmas Stollen

Ingredients

Dried Turkey - 5.3 oz
Lemon - 1 piece
Cognac - 1 fl oz
Chicken Egg - 2.1 oz
Milk - 1 fl oz
Honey - 0.9 oz
Dry yeast - 0.5 oz
Star anise - ½ g
Cardamom - ½ g
Ground clove - ½ g
Spices - ½ g
Nutmeg - ½ g
Wheat Flour - 8.8 oz
Butter - 4.2 oz
Marzipan - 2.1 oz

Step by Step guide

Step 1

Soak the dried fruits and the zest of one lemon in cognac overnight. To do this, place everything in a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap or a lid. In a mixing bowl, combine the eggs, 25 ml of cold milk, and liquid honey. Add the yeast, 4 grams of salt, and spices. Incorporate flour with a protein content of over 13%. This type of flour is needed to support the volume of butter and dried fruits added to the dough. Mix everything on low speed for 3–5 minutes until all the ingredients come together into a rough mass.

Step 2

If the dough is too dry or takes a long time to come together, add a little cold milk — about 15 ml. The exact amount will depend on the flour's moisture absorption. Continue kneading on the second or third speed until the dough is smooth; this will take about another 10 minutes.

Step 3

Continue kneading the dough on medium speed. Once it becomes smooth, start adding the butter. The dough should hold its shape but remain soft and not hot (temperature should be 19–68°F). Cut the butter into cubes and add them one by one over the course of a minute. This is a slow process, necessary to acclimate the dough to the butter, allowing its structure to change gradually. After about 5 minutes, you can start adding a few cubes at a time. A total of 100 grams of butter should be added.

Step 4

Continue kneading the dough for another 10 minutes, until a gluten window forms. This is a state of the dough when it stretches into a thin film without tearing — just like in the photo. After that, gently fold in the dried fruits and zest at a low speed, adding them gradually.

Step 5

Cover the dough in a container and let it rest at room temperature for 30 to 40 minutes. Then take it out and knead it by hand to release the air, stretch it into a small rectangle, visually divide it into three parts, pull the edges, and fold the right part over the left. This will create a small roll. Place it back in the container and let it rest for another hour to an hour and a half, then take it out and repeat the same process. Let it rest for another hour to an hour and a half. Take it out, shape it into a ball, and let it rest for another 40 minutes.

Step 6

Take the dough and gently shape it into a rectangle with your hands. Create a small indentation in the center for the marzipan. Place the marzipan, rolled into a log, into this indentation. Fold the dough over the marzipan from both sides, resembling a little package. Tuck the edges of the marzipan under the dough to prevent them from burning. If any dried fruits fall off the dough, remove them and tuck them inside as well. Leave the dough covered in a container for about an hour to one and a half hours. Then, place it in an oven preheated to 170–356°F for 30 minutes.

Step 7

Remove the stollen from the oven and brush it with cold melted butter while it's still hot. Allow the butter to soak in and the stollen to cool. Dust with powdered sugar. Optionally, decorate with berries, nuts, marzipan, or candied fruits.