Christmas Stollen Marias Way Recipes

CHRISTMAS STOLLEN

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.

CHRISTMAS STOLLEN, MARIA'S WAY

Steps:

• Place all candied fruit (except halved cherries) in colander, wash off all sticky coating. Drain until as dry as possible.
• Have raisins and nuts ready, but do not add to fruit at this time.
• Heat water,milk, and margarine until 115-125°F Margarine does not need to melt completely.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 cups flour and all other dry ingredients.
• Pour liquid with margarine into bowl with dry ingredients, and beat with electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes.
• Add 1/2 cup flour and eggs, beat on high for 2 minutes.
• Stir in remaining flour until desired consistency occurs.
• Knead until satiny and elastic.
• Place dough in buttered bowl and turn dough so that buttered side is up.
• Cover with damp towel and let rise in warm place until dough doubles in size (1-2 hours).
• Sprinkle a little flour over drained fruit and toss to coat.
• Punch down dough and spread on floured surface.
• Add all fruit, raisins and nuts, and knead until all are incorporated into dough.
• It may be necessary to add a little flour, since the fruit may make the dough sticky.
• Divide dough in 1/2 and roll into 2 ovals, each 9x15 inches.
• Brush one oval with melted butter, leaving 1 inch around edge unbuttered.
• Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.
• Fold over and seal edges securely to form crescent.
• Repeat with second oval.
• Let rise about 1- 1/2 hours until double in size.
• Brush with melted butter.
• Bake at 375°F for about 35 minutes.
• While hot, spread with white sugar frosting and decorate with halved maraschino cherries and pecan halves.
• Preparation time does not include rising time.

CHRISTMAS STOLLEN

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.

ST. LOUIS CHRISTMAS STOLLEN

Steps:

• Begin filling: Combine citron, currants, and orange juice in a lidded jar. Add enough water to cover fruit. Seal and refrigerate, 8 hours to overnight.
• Prepare dough: Combine milk, sugar, and cubed butter in a small pot over medium-low heat. Heat until butter melts and mixture is warmed to 110 degrees F (43 degrees C). Pour into the bowl of a stand mixer and add yeast; let proof for 13 minutes.
• Stir eggs into the milk-yeast mixture. Gradually add flour and salt and knead with the dough hook until well combined. Transfer dough to a floured work surface and knead by hand for 5 minutes.
• Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl and flip to coat all sides. Cover lightly and allow to rise at room temperature until 1 1/2 times its size, about 3 1/2 hours.
• Punch down dough. Place on a floured work surface and divide into 3 equal portions. Shape into balls and let rest for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, finish filling: Remove citron-currant mixture from the refrigerator. Drain liquid. Mix sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl.
• Roll marzipan on a floured silicone pad into three 9x11-inch sheets, using a floured plastic fondant roller.
• Roll one portion of dough on a floured surface into a 10x12-inch rectangle. Cover the whole surface with 1/3 of the melted butter. Turn dough so the long end is facing you. Layer with 1/3 of the cinnamon-sugar mixture, leaving 1/2 inch at the sides and 1 inch at the top uncovered. Sprinkle 1/3 of the citron-currant mixture over the cinnamon-sugar, then 1/3 of the finely chopped pecans. Top with a sheet of marzipan.
• Start at the bottom edge and roll the dough carefully away from you and around the filling; be sure to keep the edges clean. When you reach the last 1 1/2 inches, fold the top down and pinch to seal the roll. Fold in the sides and pinch to seal.
• Flip the roll so the seam is facing down. Use a rolling pin to roll out a 6 1/2x14-inch rectangle. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover and let rest for 40 minutes.
• Repeat Steps 8 to 10 with remaining dough, filling ingredients, and marzipan.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bake in the preheated oven until light golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
• Make icing: combine water, meringue powder, and salt in a mixing bowl. Mix on high speed until meringue becomes sloppy and bubbly. Add 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar and mix until smooth and well combined. Mix in remaining sugar gradually until consistency is like thick honey.
• Spread just enough icing on each cooled loaf to act as a glue. Top with pecans and then candied fruit.

CHRISTMAS STOLLEN

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.