Flavors Flavors (December 24, 2004)

Stollen bread

By Robert Rich

Certain holiday foods trigger warm childhood memories. Among my favorites is the subtly sweet German Christmas bread called stollen, which my Norwegian "adopted-grandmother" used to make each year. I have been testing stollen recipes lately, and here's my own hybrid.

This takes about a day to make, but less than an hour of actual effort. If you can't find the time, you can find imported stollen in markets this season. Try Rugenberger or Dresdner brands ($5-$11 at Dittmer's in Mountain View).

Ingredients:
3/4 cup lukewarm milk
2 teaspoons yeast
3-1/2 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
12 tblsp soft butter (1.5 sticks)
2 large eggs
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of cinnamon, cardamom, mace
Zest from 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1/4 cup candied lemon peel
1/4 cup candied orange peel
1 cup raisins
3 tblsp rum or brandy

Directions:

Pour boiling water over the raisins. Soak 10 minutes to moisten. Strain off the water, add candied citrus and rum. Let soak while making the dough. Combine yeast and milk in a bowl and let sit for 10 minutes to start the yeast.

Blend into the yeast/milk: flour, sugar, salt, egg, vanilla, spices and lemon zest. Knead by hand or with mixer's dough hook until smooth, about 10 minutes. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours, until doubled in volume.

Slowly mix in warmed butter, almonds, dried fruits and their liquid. Knead well to incorporate the ingredients, cover and let rise one more hour. Refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight.

When cool, punch the dough down gently, then shape the dough into a loaf and put it on a large buttered baking sheet. (You could spread some marzipan paste into the center at this point, or you can make two small loaves.) Push protruding raisins back into the dough, to prevent scorching later.

Let rise again for about 45 minutes. Baste the loaf with melted butter and bake in a preheated oven at 350 F for 50-55 minutes, until golden brown.

Test the center of loaf with a toothpick, seeing that it doesn't stick. Remove from oven and baste again with butter, then sprinkle with powdered sugar. Return the loaf to the oven for about 5 minutes, remove and let cool. The butter helps the stollen stay fresh for a week or more.

E-mail Robert Rich at flavors@rrich.com

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