Stollen, a Christmas Bread

A lighter, tastier, more wholesome German Christmas bread without a hint of candied fruit. Stollen baking is to be done only between Thanksgiving and the following January 6, the Feast of the Epiphany. It is legal to bake a final loaf on the sixth, slice it, wrap it carefully in portions, and freeze it for enjoyment later in the year.

For the dough:

2 1/2 tsp. (1 pkg) dry yeast
1/3 cup warm water
zest of one lemon
1/3 cup sugar
4 cups flour
1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. nutmeg
1/3 cup butter
1 cup raisins
2/3 cup raw almonds
3/4 cup milk
1 egg

Dissolve yeast in warm water with a pinch of sugar. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, use a zester or a vegetable peeler to remove the yellow layer of lemon peel without the white pith underneath. In a Cuisinart with the metal blade, process the lemon zest with remaining sugar until the bits of zest are about the size of sugar crystals, maybe 45 seconds.

Scrape down the bowl. Add flour, salt and nutmeg, and process to combine (10 seconds or so). With the motor running, drop in tablespoons of butter and continue processing until all the butter is incorporated. Add almonds (plain, raw almonds, not roasted, salted or blanched) and process until coarsely chopped (10 seconds or so, giving them a head start on the raisins). Add raisins and process until raisins are no longer whole but still visible as distinct flecks. Raisins add flavor and help keep the finished Stollen moist.

Dump the flour mixture into a large bowl. Warm the milk, then beat the egg into the milk. Make a well in the flour, then pour in the yeast mixture and the milk-egg mixture. Stir until every-thing is incorporated, then turn out onto a floured surface and knead for a few minutes until the dough becomes elastic. [If you have a stand mixer with a dough hook, use that. It works as well as hand kneading, but you don’t get the same sense of involvement with the dough. There are trade-offs in life.]

Turn the dough into a large, lightly oiled bowl, cover with a damp towel or cling wrap, and set it in a warm place to rise until doubled in size, about 90 minutes.

While the dough is rising, prepare the filling and the glaze.

For the filling:

1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup raw almonds
1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Put all three ingredients into the Cuisinart and process until you have achieved a coarse texture without too many large chunks. Put the filling into a small bowl and set aside.

For the glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar
2 tbs. lemon juice

Careful here. Start with half the lemon juice, then add more as needed. You are aiming for a smooth, very thick mixture that falls in heavy ribbons from a spoon. When you have reached that point, pour the glaze into a plastic sandwich bag, seal and set aside.

Now is the perfect time to wash and stow the Cuisinart and clean the kitchen. The dough will need at least 90 minutes for its first rising, and you won’t need any bowls or other equipment beyond a baking sheet and a cooling rack to create the finished product.

Forming the loaf, baking and finishing

When the dough has nearly doubled in size, turn it out onto a floured surface, pat it down, and form it into a square a little less than the length of your baking sheet (about 14 inches). Arrange the dough in front of you. Sprinkle the reserved filling left to right mostly into the horizontal central third of the dough, leaving at least a two-inch margin on the top and bottom. Fold the top third down over the center third of the dough, then fold the bottom third over the middle, overlapping them to form a triple-decker loaf approximately 14 x 5 inches. (Slightly moistening the bottom edge before making the last fold will help the loaf maintain its structure during the second rising.) Place the loaf on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment or greased. Put it in a warm place, and allow it to rise for another hour or so until doubled.

Bake in a preheated 375° oven for 20 minutes. Open the oven, brush the entire loaf with melted butter, rotate the baking sheet 180 degrees, and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes.

When it’s nicely browned, remove the Stollen from the oven and transfer to a wire rack either over a sink or over newspaper, since things will get sticky. Snip a very small corner from the plastic sandwich bag, creating a pastry bag of sorts. Drizzle the glaze in loops over the hot Stollen. It will run down the sides of the loaf and drip into the sink or onto the newspaper. Resist the urge to slice the loaf immediately. The texture is better if it is allowed to cool a bit.