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Stollen

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Stollen is a traditional German Christmas yeasted fruit bread. You are wondering why I am celebrating Christmas in the month of August. Nothing special I need boozed bread for this month bread baking day. 
During Christmas in Kerala there is a custom of making plum fruit cake, which are soft, moist not like the rock like fruit cake here in US, which is used for fruit cake throwing competition. In Kerala, bakeries carries fruit cakes on any regular day also, appa used to buy it for our tea /after school snack. 
I was thinking of making coconut milk and tequila bread, but then I read that this combination will be a sour one just like fermented toddy (alcoholic beverage created from the sap of coconut plant). What about Pina colada bread I thought, but I don’t have coconut rum or pineapple in hand. Again ‘No’ for beer bread from the primary taste tester of house. Then my hubby told me why you want to invent the bread that has not existed, sometime yeast may not like your invention. If that is case, entire project is going to be doomed. I don’t like a doomed project, however I can’t help it and it happens more often. Couple of my disaster projects is soybean burger and vegetable scones. Instead I began searching the internet and my favorite bread baking book. In the mean time I found a box of candied fruits playing hide and seek in my refrigerator. While looking at them, they said we are going to expire soon, use us please. Thus I decided to make a fruit bread, the choice comes done to Greek celebration bread and Stollen. I settled with Stollen recipe.
Stollen is bread like fruit cake made with candied fruit, yeast, water and flour with zest of orange or lemon. I forgot to add candied orange zest so added lemon zest to the dough. Stollen is baked during Christmas time, the loaf symbolize the baby Jesus wrapped in swaddling blankets. Read more about Stollen history from here. I used the Stollen recipe from Peter Reinhart’s book The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread. I changed the recipe a little bit by soaking the candied fruit, raisins, apricots and cranberries in Triple sac for 24 hours instead of 1 hour, and also reducing 1 tablespoon of butter. Also I scantly dusted with powdered sugar, rather than dusting powdered sugar twice on loaf. Even with this scantly dusted powdered sugar, I got a group of new unwanted guest in my house, Ants; I hate them because if they bite me, it will take 3 days to get cured from a single bite. I used this you tube video to shape my loaf,  it is in German, I don’t understand any words. For me watching a movie, cookery show, don’t need any language, visuals help you to understand. 
The bread was not too sweet, delicious, tasty and good with coffee and tea. I thought one loaf will last for a week, it finished with 4 days. I am going to make this more often. Keeper recipe, try some time if you like fruit cakes for tea then sure you are going to be fan of this one. 

What you need
Sponge

 Milk: ½ cup
All purpose flour: ½ cup
Instant yeast : 4 teaspoons (or 2 packets)

Fruit

Dried fruit (Candied fruits, golden raisins, dried cranberries, dried apricots, etc.): 1 ½ cup
Triple sac: ½ cups ( you can use Grand Marnier, brandy, rum, or schnapps)

Dough

Unbleached all-purpose flour: 2 ¼ cups + ½ tablespoon
Sugar: 1 tablespoon
Salt: ¾ teaspoon
Cinnamon: 1 teaspoon
Zest of lemon: 1 no
Cardamom: 2 no
Egg: 1 no
Butter: 4 tablespoons (½ a stick), softened
Water: 3 tablespoons
Almond slivers or marzipan : ½ cup
Topping
Butter or oil
Powdered sugar

How I made

Soak the chopped candied fruits and dry fruits in ½ cup Triple sac for 24hours or overnight. Drain excess Triple sac using strainer before adding to the dough.

In a microwave safe bowl warm the milk in a microwave to 20 seconds high to approximately 100 degrees. 
In a mixing bowl whisk in the flour and yeast  to this add warm milk. Cover with plastic wrap  set aside to ferment for 1 hour until the sponge is very foamy.

When the sponge is ready, in a bowl of electric mixer, combine the remaining flour, salt, sugar, cardamom, lemon zest and cinnamon . Then stir in( or mix in on low speed with paddle attachment) the sponge, egg, softened butter, 2 tablespoon of fruit soaked triple sac and enough water to form soft but not sticky dough. This should take about 2 minutes. Stir in the  soaked  and drained dried fruit and knead in a mixer (using a dough hook) or by hand for 5 to 10 minutes so that fruit mix get distributed evenly add extra flour( I added ½ tablespoon of flour)to form soft and satiny dough not sticky one. 
Place the dough in an oiled bowl, rolling around to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp towel, and set aside to rise for 1 hour 35 minutes. The dough will rise to an extent but not double.

On a floured surface, shape the dough into 9 by 6 inch rectangle, either by rolling it out or pressing it with your hands. 
Place the slivered almonds in the center of the loaf. Fold the dough from the sides first and roll closed and shape the loaf into something resembling a crescent.
Place a hand or roller near the two ends of dough meets so that it looks like slit.

Cover the loaf loosely with plastic and set it aside to rise for approximately an hour to an hour and a half. While it is rising, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

When fully raised, bake the stollen for approximately 35 minutes. Rotate it in between around 20 minutes and bake it until the internal temperature is approximately 190 degrees or until top of the loaf get dark brown color. 

Remove the stollen from the oven. While still hot, brush the top of the loaf with butter or vegetable oil and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Cut after 1 hour, I couldn’t resist waiting that long, so I cut it immediately and enjoyed with my tea. 

Preparation time: Soaking dry fruits: 24 hours or overnight (you can reduce it to 1 hour)
Sponge: 1 hour, Dough: 3 hours, baking: 35minutes
Yield: 1 loaf
Verdict: Tasty
Will you make it again: Yes I will.

 I am sending this delicious Stollen to

Twelve day of bloggie-mass ; third day hosted at amoderate life.

Bread baking day #33:  Breads with Booze hosted by Adriana of Baking Powders originally started by Zorra 

Also to  This week's Yeast spotting by Susan of Wild  Yeast.

Swathi

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  1. mimicooks says

    If I could eat Stollen and Panettone all year long, I would. I think you are giving me dangerous ideas! lol!! The stollen looks delicous!

    Reply

  2. ladyyjae says

    yummmmm! i love healthy food 🙂 especially with lots of fruits in it!! good job!!

    have a good day!!
    jen @ http://www.passion4food.ca

    Reply

  3. Ellie (Almost Bourdain) says

    I love stollen but haven't found a good recipe. Yours look like what I haven't seraching for. Book marked and will try it for this coming Christmas 🙂

    Reply

  4. Faith says

    It looks like this came out absolutely perfect! All the dried fruits and nuts make it so pretty when you slice this bread!

    Reply

  5. Reeni says

    You're bread is gorgeous! One of my favorite holiday breads. What a treat to have it now!

    Reply

  6. Magia da Inês says

    ♥♥ Olá, amiga!
    Passei para uma visitinha...
    Seu cantinho está muito lindo e criativo, com fotos maravilhosas dos pratos.
    As receitas estão muito saborosas...amei!!!♥♥
    Boa semana!...
    com tudo de bom!!!♥
    Beijinhos.
    Itabira♥
    ♥♥♥ Brasil

    Reply

  7. Sushma Mallya says

    Perfect looking bread with those dried fruits......

    Reply

  8. Sarah Naveen says

    This is new to me..looks so delicious..

    Reply

  9. fancythatfancythis.com says

    I have never had stollen before but you are right Swathi...there is really no need for an excuse to make such a delicious bread. 🙂

    Reply

  11. Priya says

    Woww prefectly baked stollen, looks gorgeous..

    Reply

  12. Fathima says

    stollen has come out perfect... soaking part sounds similar to that of a plum cake... thanks for visiting my blog... you have a nice space too.. happy to follow u....

    Reply

  13. Ameya says

    Such a delicious looking twist on fruit-cake, which I love! I'd love to try this 🙂

    Reply

  14. SpicyTasty says

    Looks so yummy. Nice step by step instructions. I love dry fruits.

    Reply

  15. PALATABLE says

    Very beautiful and yummy bread, love the story and your detailed method is really useful, thanks for this great post dear...

    http://treatntrick.blogspot.com

    Reply

  16. Pavithra says

    I second RV... look damn good with wonderful texture dear...

    Reply

  17. Gulmohar says

    Wonderful..I love fruit cake ,so I'll love this too 🙂

    Reply

  18. Priya (Yallapantula) Mitharwal says

    Wow, that looks yummilicious !!!

    Reply

  19. MaryMoh says

    Oh wow...what a perfect, beautiful loaf. That first picture is just too tempting...am drooling! You are just so good in baking! I need to learn bread baking 😀 Thanks very much for sharing. MaryMoh at http://www.keeplearningkeepsmiling.com

    Reply

  20. RV says

    You are becoming a Pro in Bread Baking. Love this bread.

    Reply

  21. Adelina says

    amazing recipe again! Love the way you elaborate everything, so easy to follow!

    Reply

  22. kitchen queen says

    lovely and yummy fruit bread.

    Reply

  23. Swathi says

    Sanuykta,

    You substitute Triple sac with

    For 2 tbsp Triple Sec substitute 2 tsp orange extract, OR
    2-4 drops of orange oil, OR
    2 tsp orange zest

    Add orange juice to soak the dried fruit.

    Reply

  25. Sanyukta Gour(Bayes) says

    lovely dried fruit n nut bread....reminds me of tutty frutty cake...but thislooks simply gorgeous.hats oss to ur patience for thosestep by step pics..is there any substitute for triple sac...funnny question-as this is a xmas bread brandy ,rum has to b there..any other optiuon other than this???

    Reply

  26. Vrinda says

    Never heard of this bread,looks perfect and delish with dry fruits..

    Reply

  27. aipi says

    I love fruit based breads, n this looks awesome swathi!!
    Loved the story of the dish n you explained the recipe very well.

    Reply

  28. Suman Singh says

    This is just amazing..feel like grabbing that last slice from the screen..looks fabulous.

    Reply

  29. Sreelekha Sumesh says

    Ethu njan Nl ayirunnapo kazhichittundu.looks perfect!oven vaghichittu venam ethoke undakn..:)

    Reply

  30. Kamalika says

    Loved to know about the story of the dish...lovely bread....

    Reply

  31. Swathi says

    Cool lassie this bread symbolize the baby jesus warpped in blanket. I don't think you can see any resemblance.

    Reply

  32. Cool Lassi(e) says

    I tried very hard to see if this bread resembles baby jesus..it doesn't but the bread looks splendid!

    Reply

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