Christmas Stollen with Marzipan

Before you start

Stollen is a dense, rich German Christmas bread, nothing like a fluffy brioche. The dough holds a remarkable amount of butter, fruit and nuts, and it is folded over a log of marzipan into the traditional humped shape. After baking it is soaked with melted butter and coated thickly in powdered sugar, which seals in moisture so the bread keeps and mellows for days.

Two things guide this recipe. First, the fruit soaks overnight so it is plump and does not dry out the dough. Second, the heavy butter content slows the yeast, so the rises are long and the dough never gets very puffy. Do not be tempted to add extra flour; a slightly soft dough bakes into a moist loaf, while a stiff one is dry and crumbly.

Ingredients

• Fruit soak150 g (1 cup) raisins
• 50 g (⅓ cup) dried currants
• 60 g (⅓ cup) diced candied citron or orange peel
• 40 ml (2½ tbsp) dark rum — or orange juice
• Dough400 g (3⅓ cups) all-purpose flour
• 7 g (2¼ tsp) instant yeast
• 50 g (¼ cup) granulated sugar
• 5 g (scant 1 tsp) fine salt
• ½ tsp each ground cardamom and ground mace or nutmeg
• 1 lemon — finely grated zest
• 160 ml (⅔ cup) whole milk — warmed to about 38°C (100°F)
• 1 large egg
• 140 g (10 tbsp) unsalted butter — softened
• 50 g (½ cup) slivered almonds — toasted and cooled
• Filling200 g marzipan
• Finish60 g (4 tbsp) unsalted butter — melted
• 60 g (½ cup) powdered sugar

Method

1. The night before, combine the raisins, currants, candied peel and rum in a small bowl. Cover and leave at room temperature for 8 hours or overnight, stirring once or twice.
2. Mix the flour, yeast, sugar, salt, spices and lemon zest. Add the warm milk and egg and mix on low until shaggy. Add the soft butter in three additions and knead on medium-low for 8 to 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth, soft and elastic.
3. Drain any liquid not absorbed by the fruit. On low speed, mix in the fruit and almonds just until evenly distributed, finishing by hand if necessary.
4. Cover and let the dough rise in a warm place until about 1½ times its size, 1½ to 2 hours. It will not double.
5. Roll the marzipan into a log about 25 cm (10 in) long.
6. Pat the dough into an oval about 30 x 20 cm (12 x 8 in) and 2 cm (¾ in) thick. Press a groove lengthwise just off center with a rolling pin. Lay the marzipan in the groove and fold the larger side over it so the top edge sits about 2.5 cm (1 in) short of the bottom edge. Press firmly along the fold to seal.
7. Move the stollen to a parchment-lined baking sheet, pick off any fruit poking out of the surface, cover and proof for about 1 hour, until slightly puffy. Heat the oven to 170°C (340°F).
8. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until deep golden and the thickest part (not the marzipan) reads 88 to 90°C (190 to 195°F). Tent with foil after 25 minutes if it is browning quickly.
9. While it is hot, brush the stollen all over with half the melted butter, let it soak in, then brush with the rest. Sift a thick layer of powdered sugar over it.
10. Let it cool completely, about 2 hours, then sift on a second generous coat of sugar. Wrap well in plastic wrap and foil.

Tips for success

• Many bakers wrap stollen and let it rest a few days to a week before slicing; the flavors meld and the crumb softens.
• Fruit on the surface burns and turns bitter. Tuck it under or remove it before proofing.
• Slice from the middle outward and press the two cut ends together to keep the bread from drying.

Substitutions

Dark rum

Orange juice or apple juice for an alcohol-free stollen. The fruit flavor is brighter and less deep.

Marzipan

Leave it out for a classic fruit stollen, or roll 200 g almond paste mixed with 1 tbsp egg white. Almond paste is less sweet and softer.

Candied citron

Dried cranberries or chopped dried apricots at the same weight. The taste moves away from tradition but stays festive.

Variations

Cranberry and pistachio stollen

Swap the currants and citron for 110 g dried cranberries and the almonds for 50 g chopped pistachios; soak in orange juice instead of rum.

Stollen bites

Divide the dough into 24 pieces, wrap each around a small marzipan ball, bake at 180°C (350°F) for 18 to 20 minutes and roll in butter and sugar.

Troubleshooting

The stollen spread flat and cracked

The dough was too warm or overproofed. Keep the proof short, about an hour, and bake while it is only slightly puffy.

The crumb is dry and crumbly

Too much flour or overbaking. Keep the dough soft and check the internal temperature; also be generous with the butter brushing.

The dough hardly rose at all

Butter and fruit weigh it down. Give it a warmer spot and more time, and check that the yeast is fresh.

Storage

Wrapped tightly, stollen keeps in a cool room or pantry for up to 2 weeks; check for mold before serving. Freeze wrapped for up to 3 months and re-dust with powdered sugar after thawing.

Safety notes

Raw dough contains raw egg and uncooked flour and should not be tasted. Rum is not fully baked out of soaked fruit; use juice if serving children or anyone avoiding alcohol. Contains wheat, egg, milk and tree nuts (almonds).