Ingredients:
All-purpose flour: 348g.
Additional ingredients:
Warm milk: 113g; Active dry yeast: 12g; Eggs: 47g; Water: 57g; Butter: 71g; Dried cranberries, dried longan, and raisins: 200g; Chopped almonds and walnuts: 100g.
Seasonings:
Granulated sugar: 14g; Salt: 5g; Orange zest: 3g; Lemon zest: 3g; Ground cinnamon: 1 tsp.
Flavor: Milky; Cooking method: Baking; Time: One day; Difficulty: Moderate.
Steps to Make Stollen, the Christmas Bread That Has Been Popular in Europe for 300 Years
Soak the dried cranberries, dried longan, and raisins in red wine overnight, drain and set aside.
Heat the milk and add the dry yeast. Let it sit for a few minutes until foamy.
Add 64g of all-purpose flour to the milk and mix well. Let it ferment until there are large bubbles on the surface.
Mix all the ingredients except for the butter and the raisins. Knead until the dough is smooth and there are no large pieces of dough left. Add most of the dried fruit and knead until well combined.
Let the dough rise in a warm and humid place until it doubles in size.
Divide the dough into two parts and let them rest for 15 minutes. Roll out one part and sprinkle the remaining dried fruit on top. Fold the dough in half, making sure the top part is longer than the bottom part.
Roll out the dough slightly with a rolling pin and fold the longer part over the shorter part. Seal the edges and flip the dough over so that the longer part is on top.
Preheat the oven to 170°C and bake the bread on the middle rack for 50 minutes. Brush the melted butter on top and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Let it cool completely before serving.
