Christmas Stollen Recipe 415

Steps:

• Soak the dried fruit in 100ml of hot water. Gently warm the apple juice for a few mins in a pan, then add the yeast and leave to activate for 10-15 mins (it will start to bubble).
• Put the flour in a bowl. Stir in the yeast and apple juice mixture to form a smooth dough, then cover and leave to prove somewhere warm until roughly doubled in size, about 1-2 hrs. You can also put the dough in the fridge to rise slowly overnight.
• Drain the fruit and add to the dough along with the nuts, spices and marzipan. Squish everything together, then turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until the fruit stays in the dough.
• Shape the dough into a sausage shape and put it on a baking tray lined with baking parchment. Cover with a clean tea towel and leave to prove somewhere warm for 30 mins-1 hr until it has risen by about a quarter.
• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Bake the stollen for 20 mins, then reduce oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2 and bake for 25-30 mins more until golden brown and firm to the touch.
• Remove the stollen from the oven and brush all over with the melted butter. Dust with the icing sugar and leave to cool completely before slicing. Store any remaining stollen, well wrapped, in an airtight container.

Steps:

• Soak raisins and fruit in orange juice; set aside. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add milk, butter, sugar, eggs, orange and lemon zest, salt and 3 cups flour; beat until smooth. Add raisin mixture and almonds. Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough., Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1-1/2 hours., Punch dough down; let rest for 10 minutes. Divide in half; roll each half into a 10-in. x 7-in. oval. Fold one of the long sides over to within 1 in. of the opposite side; press edges lightly to seal. Place on greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 1 hour. , Bake at 375° for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Just before serving, dust with confectioners' sugar.

Steps:

• In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm milk. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
• In a large bowl, combine the yeast mixture with the egg, white sugar, salt, butter, and 2 cups bread flour; beat well. Add the remaining flour, 1/4 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has begun to pull together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead in the currants, raisins, dried cherries, and citrus peel. Continue kneading until smooth, about 8 minutes.
• Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
• Lightly grease a cookie sheet. Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the marzipan into a rope and place it in the center of the dough. Fold the dough over to cover it; pinch the seams together to seal. Place the loaf, seam side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C), and bake for a further 30 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow loaf to cool on a wire rack. Dust the cooled loaf with confectioners' sugar, and sprinkle with the cinnamon.

Steps:

• Dry ingredients.
• In a large bowl;.
• • Sift flour and sugar together. Mix well.
• • Add yeast. Mix well.
• • Make a well in the middle. Set aside.
• Wet ingredients.
• In another bowl;.
• • Warm the milk and butter.
• • Add one egg. Whisk until all the milk is absorbed.
• The dough.
• • Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Combine well.
• • Lightly flour a clean kneading surface.
• • Turn the dough out and knead until the surface is slightly shiny. The dough ball should be stretchy when it's ready.
• • Lightly oil one of the mixing bowls. Place dough ball in the bowl and cover. Put the bowl in a warm place.
• • Let rise for 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
• The part that makes it Christmas.
• • Rinse all the cherries to get rid of the juice.
• • Quarter ¼ cup of the cherries, half red, half green.
• • Chop the remaining cherries in to (approximately) ¼ inch x ¼ inch bits.
• • Place all the cherries into a fine mesh strainer and rinse with luke warm water.
• • Once well rinsed to remove as much of the juice you can, turn out on to a clean tea towel. Fold the tea towel on to the cherries and gently press to remove any remaining water and juice.
• • Place in a small bowl.
• • Grate the lemon rind and put in the bowl containing the cherries.
• • Put the sliced almonds in the same bowl and mix all ingredients.
• The Almond Paste.
• • In a small bowl, cube the almond paste. Add the white of the second egg. Discard the yolk. Blend well and set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F Have a rack in the center.
• Pour the fruit mixture on to a floured surface. After the dough has risen, place on top of the fruit mixture and knead until everything is well combined, flouring lightly as needed to keep the elasticity of the dough intact.
• Roll the dough until about one-half inches thick. You should have a circle of dough about 14 - 16 inches in diameter.
• If you are able, roll the almond paste in to a rope the length being about an inch shorter than the diameter of your rolled out dough. If you can't roll the almond paste, spread it directly on to the rolled out dough, right across the center. Fold the dough in half, over the almond paste. Pat the dough together, flattening the almond paste a bit. Place the loaf corner to corner on to a flat baking sheet. Use parchment paper if you have it, otherwise you can lightly grease the baking sheet.
• Let the loaf rise for 10 to 15 minutes (less if you want the loaf a bit flatter).
• Bake for 30 minutes and check the bread. It should be golden brown.
• Remove from the oven and cool. Rub the surface with margarine. When its just barely warm, sift icing sugar on to the crescent. Stick two or three holly leaves with a few holly berries on the center at the top (the non-iced part).
• For serving, slice ¾ inches wide. Store the bread in a plastic bag, after it's completely cooled.