Christmas Stollen
From James's Wiki
Ingredients
Fruit
1/2 pound golden raisins
Spiced rum like Captain Morgan
Sponge
1 pkg active dry yeast, 2 1/4 tsp.
1/4 cup lukewarm water
1/2 cup scalded whole milk, cooled to under 110°
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar
Dough
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
6 tbsp softened butter
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 tbsp granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup sliced or slivered or finely chopped almonds
Instructions
- Place the fruit into a bowl or jar and add the rum. stir to coat. Soak fruit for 1 hour or up to overnight in the refrigerator.
- Place the water and yeast in a small bowl and stir with a fork to dissolve the yeast, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the milk and flour and whisk to incorporate. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise 20 to 30 minutes.
- Place the sponge and all additional dough ingredient, (minus the fruit and almonds), into the stand mixer bowl. Beat with the paddle attachment until all the flour is mostly incorporated. 5 mins.
- Switch to a dough hook and knead the dough on low speed, (KitchenAid 2), until it forms a ball. 5 mins.
- Add the fruit and its liquid along with the almonds and mix on low until the fruit is well distributed in the dough. You can use a spatula to help push the ingredients together. If the dough is sticking to the bowl, add more flour, 1 to 2 tsp. at a time until the dough releases from the bowl.
- Coat the sides of the bowl with cooking spray to prevent sticking and cover with a dish towel and move to a warm place. Let the dough rise until the volume doubles, 2 hours.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Take the dough and separate into 2 equal size balls. Form the loaves by pressing the dough into a rectangle approx 10" by 8". Fold one of the 10" sides over to make a loaf approx. 10" by 5". Crimp the joined dough well with your fingers.
- Place the loaves on the parchment, cover again, and let rise for 1 hour
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Place the stollen into the oven until the internal temperature is at least 190°, around 40 minutes. If the loaves seem to be getting too brown, tent them with foil.
- When the loaves are done, place them on cooling rack and immediately brush with melted butter and generously sprinkle with granulated sugar. (Powdered sugar can be used also, but I prefer granulated sugar).
- Once cooled to room temperature, place the loaves into plastic bags or fully enclose in plastic wrap. Store at room temperature until ready to eat. The flavor improves with aging 1 to 2 weeks. Store in a cool place for longer storage times.
Modified from: https://www.joeshealthymeals.com/dresden-style-german-christmas-stollen/