Stollen (German brioche)

Hey foodies!

The Christmas season is just around the corner! We still have a little time, yes. ;o) But I have so many recipes to share with you that I'm getting a bit ahead of myself, otherwise I won't have time to give you all of them.

So this week I'm sharing my Stollen recipe. A very old German brioche, well known to Alsatians and the Swiss — especially German-speaking Swiss. ;o) You can actually find it in supermarkets already, as of a few days ago.

This recipe will give you 2 Stollen of about 35 cm.

Ingredients:

- 50gr of rum

- 80gr of raisins

- 165gr of milk

- 1 packet of dry yeast

- 32gr of sugar

- 500gr of flour

- 165gr of butter

- 1 egg

- 1 egg yolk

- the zest of one orange

- 1 tsp of salt

- 1 tsp of ground cinnamon

- 1/2 tsp of nutmeg

- 80gr of flaked almonds

- 40gr of candied lemon peel

- 100gr of marzipan

Glaze:

- 30gr of icing sugar

- 20gr of butter

Let's get started!

Start by pouring 80gr of raisins into a bowl and cover them with 50gr of rum. ;o)

If you're not big on alcohol, soak them in orange juice instead.

Heat 165gr of milk in the microwave at 600Watt for 20 seconds. The milk should be lukewarm, not hot.

Then pour one packet of yeast, 15gr of sugar and 80gr of flour into the milk and mix.

Mix these ingredients well with a spoon. It's fine if there are a few lumps.

Let the mixture rise for a good 10 minutes at room temperature.

After 10 minutes you can see that the yeast has started to activate. We've created a little starter. ;0) It will help our brioche rise later on.

In a large bowl, pour 165gr of butter at room temperature and 17gr of sugar. Mix lightly with a whisk.

Then add 1 whole egg, 1 egg yolk and the zest of one orange. Personally I zest with my microplane grater.

Whisk the mixture again for 1 minute.

In another bowl, mix 420gr of flour, 1 tsp of salt, 1 tsp of ground cinnamon and 1/2 tsp of nutmeg. Mix with a spoon.

Then pour the flour over your butter/egg mixture.

Pour your starter over the flour, then mix with the dough hook at medium speed for 5 minutes.

Once the 5 minutes are up, drain your raisins and add them to your dough.

Also add 80gr of flaked almonds and 40gr of candied lemon peel.

Mix again with the dough hook for 5 to 7 minutes at medium speed. This way your brioche dough will be well kneaded.

Shape into a ball in the bottom of your bowl and cover the bowl with a damp cloth.

Let your dough double in size. I left it for 1h30. It was perfect.

Once the dough has doubled nicely, preheat your oven to 180°C, fan-assisted.

Flour your work surface and cut your dough into two pieces.

Roll out the first piece with a rolling pin. Try to make a rectangle (or an oval ;o)) about 1 cm thick.

Then take 100gr of marzipan, roll it into a log and place it on your dough.

My marzipan is from Denner if you're wondering, but any marzipan works, as long as the packet says "for baking".

Fold the dough in half, then lift one side slightly (see photo N°2).

For the second Stollen, do the same but without the marzipan. ;o)

I made two versions so that marzipan lovers are happy, but those who hate it can also enjoy this Stollen.

Place your two Stollen on a perforated baking tray lined with a perforated mat.

Cover them with a damp cloth for 30 minutes.

Then bake your Stollen for 30 minutes in your preheated oven at 180°C, fan-assisted.

In a bowl, melt 20gr of butter and prepare 30gr of icing sugar.

Brush your two still-warm Stollen with melted butter, then dust them generously with icing sugar. ;o)

And there you have it, my two homemade Stollen! ;o)

I used to be the only one eating store-bought Stollen because my husband and kids hate candied fruit! I thought to myself: "Oh well! I'll try making one at home anyway because I love it!" And you know what? They all loved it!

I didn't put a huge amount of candied fruit, I'll admit. If you love it, feel free to increase the quantity of raisins a little. But if you want everyone to enjoy it, I'd recommend keeping the recipe as is.

I hope you enjoy this recipe and that you'll try it for family, friends or anyone else.

I also think it makes a lovely Christmas gift. ;o) A great idea for teachers, for example.

Stollen keeps easily for up to 5 days.

Have a great Sunday!

Karin

P.S.: All the equipment used can be found at the bottom of the recipe.