Stollen

Today, I'd like to introduce you to another type of perfect bread recipe for the Christmas season: Stollen.

Many of you have probably seen this bread before. It has a unique appearance, but looks delicious with a lot of icing sugar resembling falling snow on Christmas Eve.

Stollen originated in Germany. I've seen its recipe a long time ago, haha, but I never got around to making it. This year, after my sister returned from a Germany trip, and said she'd tried the real thing there and wanted me to make it too. So, I finally got the chance.

Before making it, I did some research on this type of bread because I wanted to know about its history. And found out that in its early days, Stollen was quite bland because the Church's rules during Lent prohibited the use of butter and milk. However, when the Ruler of Saxony wrote a letter to the Pope requesting permission to use butter, it became the beginning of the buttery, fruit-filled, and nut-packed, delicious Stollen that we enjoy today.

Stollen bread's connection to Christmas doesn't stop there. Even the folded shape in the middle symbolizes Jesus being wrapped in cloth at his birth. The white icing on top represents a soft blanket or light snow on a winter night. Stollen is truly evokes the spirit of Christmas.

Because it's so buttery and full of fruit, the preparation process differs somewhat from regular bread. High-fat bread is harder to rise, and the fruit and nuts slow down gluten development. Therefore, a starter is crucial to help the bread rise more easily.

So, it's important to note that making this type of bread requires patience. It starts with fermenting the fruit, waiting for the starter to rise, allowing the bread to rise, buttering, letting it cool, covering it with icing, and most importantly, the patience to let the bread rest before eating (a week is ideal, 1-2 days is OK). Freshly baked, the bread's texture is crumbly because it is not fully set. But after resting, all the ingredients—butter, flour, even the aromas of spices, dried fruit, and liqueur — will unify. The deliciousness will improve.

If you're going to store it, remember to sprinkle a generous amount of icing sugar on it, and store it in a cool, dry place.

Stollen

Make 2 (18 cm bread)

Marinated dried fruits
170 g ............................... Dried fruits
30 g ................................. Cognac (or Rum)

Starter
70 g ................................. Milk
3 g .................................. Instant yeast (for sweet breads type)
80 g  ............................... T 65 Bread flour (or all-purpose flour)

Bread dough
60 g  ................................. Walnut or almond (use the one that you like)
100 g ............................... Unsalted butter (return to room temperature before using) 
30 g .................................. Granulated sugar
4 g .................................. Salt
1 ...................................... Egg yolk 
170 g ............................... T 65 Bread flour (or all-purpose flour)
3 g .................................. Instant yeast (for sweet breads type)
2 g .................................. Ground cinnamon

Finishing
100 g ............................... Unsalted butter (melted) 
100 g ............................... Granulated sugar
2 g .................................. Ground cinnamon
........................................ Icing sugar

If the dried fruit is large, cut it into 5-7 mm pieces. Mix dried fruit and rum in a bowl.

Cover and let them marinate for 2-3 days.

Warm the milk until its temperature reaches 25-30 C.

Pour the instant yeast into the milk and stir to combine.

Pour the T65 bread flour into the bowl and mix to combine.

Cover and let it rise until double.(About 1-1.30hours)

Roast walnuts in an oven-toaster for 5-7 minutes. Chop and let it cool before using.

When the starter has doubled in size, start making the bread dough.

Beat the butter until smooth. Add the sugar and salt and beat to combine.

Add the egg yolk and beat to combine.

Pour the T65 bread flour, instant yeast, cinnamon, and starter into the bowl.

Mix until fully combined.

Remove from the bowl and knead for 2 minutes.

Roll the dough into a ball.

Cover and let it rise until double (about 1 hour)

When the dough is ready.

Divide into 2 pieces.

Roll out 1 of the dough. Put half of the marinated dried fruit and half of the nuts over the dough.

Cover the fruit and nuts by folding the dough. Prepare the same way with the remaining dough.

Let the dough rest for 20 minutes.

Roll each dough into an 18 cm. Round.

Fold it over so that the bottom part hangs out a little.

Cover and let it rise for 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180 C

Bake for 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and brush with melted butter. Return to the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes more.

Brush the Stollen with melted butter.

Let it cool for 10minutes.

Mix the sugar and cinnamon and pour it into a plastic bag.

Put the stollen into the bag and cover it with cinnamon sugar. (Stollen is quite crumbly, so do it gently.)

Let it cool completely.

Once completely cooled. Sprinkle with plenty of powdered sugar using a tea strainer.

It's ready!