Christmas stollen made with yeast dough on the Delicious Blog

      Recipe:

      Source: https://www.vkusnyblog.com/recipe/rozhdestvenskij-shtollen-na-drozhzhevom-teste/Notes on the ingredients:

      Flour. Ordinary top-grade flour is more than sufficient for stollen. Yes, there is a lot of rich pastry in it, but in the end it resembles a cake more, so strong (high-gluten) flour is not necessary.

      Yeast. The recipe calls for fresh yeast. Dry yeast also works – use one third of the fresh yeast amount by weight. So for the whole batch, instead of 50 g of fresh compressed yeast you will need 17 g of dry yeast. I usually don’t add dry yeast to the flour but dissolve it in the milk just like fresh yeast.

      Milk. Use milk of any fat content you prefer. Before adding the yeast it should be warm, not hot – maximum 45°C. At higher temperatures the yeast dies and the dough won’t rise.

      Butter. You can use butter at 72% fat or higher. For the dough it should be soft but not melted, and for brushing the baked stollen it should be melted.

      Marzipan. It wasn’t in the 2010 recipe; now I decided to make the stollen more classic and added marzipan to the recipe without changing the proportions or amounts of other ingredients. Both store-bought and homemade marzipan are suitable. If you don’t have any, you can omit it – the stollen will still be very tasty and aromatic.

      Almonds. It’s best to use blanched almonds without skins – they won’t affect the color of the dough. If that’s not important to you, use almonds with skins. You can also use sliced almonds right away.

      Dried fruit and candied peel. Yes, there is RELATIVELY A LOT of them compared to the dough. That’s how stollen should be.

      Raisins are essential. The recipe lists two types of raisins, but you can use just one if you prefer. All other candied peel and dried fruit are up to you. I make mine with candied pineapple, dried cherries and figs. Candied orange peel works well, as do dried apricots, prunes and cranberry candied peel.

      Spices. Ground cardamom is a must in stollen dough. It has a unique aroma that can’t be replaced. Another traditional spice is mace (the so-called nutmeg flower). It has a more delicate aroma than nutmeg, but it’s not very common and is often substituted with nutmeg.

      Some bakers add cinnamon, cloves, ginger, allspice, star anise. But be very careful with these so as not to overdose and turn the stollen into a gingerbread. Personally I favor minimalism: cardamom and nutmeg.

      Powdered sugar. You need a lot of it and shouldn’t skimp. Together with the butter brushing it acts as a protective coating during the stollen’s maturation – the butter and sugar reduce oxygen penetration into the crumb and prevent fat oxidation. That’s why stollen doesn’t spoil during the 2–4 weeks typically allowed for aging.

      Let’s move on to preparation.

      Soak the raisins and the mix of dried fruit and candied peel in rum, stir and leave overnight at room temperature.

      Chop the almonds with a knife.

      Warm the milk slightly and dissolve the yeast in it.

      Add the sugar, half the flour, nutmeg, cardamom and salt. Mix until smooth.

      Add the softened butter and the remaining flour, knead well.

      Add the chopped almonds and the rum-soaked dried fruit and candied peel (drain off any excess rum).

      Knead to distribute the inclusions.

      Let the dough proof for 1–1.5 hours. During this time it should nearly double in volume.

      While the dough is rising, shape the marzipan into 2 logs about 20–22 cm long.

      Put them in the refrigerator.

      Punch down the risen dough and divide it in half.

      Shape the stollen. Stretch the dough into a thick oval. Using the edge of your palm, make a groove that separates off about one third of the oval. Place the marzipan into this groove.

      Fold that third over on top and seal the seam.

      If you’re not using marzipan, simply fold the stollen along that groove.

      Place the formed stollen on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

      Leave in a warm place for the final proof for about 40 minutes. During this time the stollen should increase in volume by about one and a half times.

      Put the baking sheet in an oven preheated to 180°C and bake the stollen until golden, about 35–40 minutes.

      Remove from the oven and, while still hot, brush generously with melted butter. It’s easiest to do this with a brush.

      Heavily dust with powdered sugar.

      Let the stollen cool, wrap tightly in foil or cling film and put in a cool place to mature for 2–4 weeks.

      Slice the matured stollen and enjoy.

      Enjoy your tea and happy holidays!

      This recipe for Christmas stollen made with yeast dough has been tested and prepared by chef Tatyana Nazaruk – the author of Vkusny Blog.

      Want to thank her? It’s simple!

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