SC - Stollen (OOP?)

[Decker, Terry D.]

> I'd like to see your stollen recipe. My grandmother used to order 
> stollen from a New York bakery for holidays, and when I've tried 
> making stollen, it doen't come out as good.
> 
> Elizabeth/Betty Cook


Sorry for the delay, but I've been running around trying to get ready to fly
out to New York Wednesday morning.

I'm sending you three stollen recipes.  I make the first one most often, but
the other two provide slightly different tastes and textures.  The may be
old, but they are definitely OOP.

Bear

Weihnachtstollen  (Christmas Bread)  makes 2 large braids


Dough:
2 rounded teaspoons dry active yeast (2 packages)
1/4 cup warm water
2 cups milk, scalded and cooled
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
2 teaspoons salt
11 cups all purpose flour (may require more)
1 pound butter
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
6 eggs
1/3 cup rum or brandy (optional)

Filling:
1/4 cup melted butter
Finely ground cinnamon
Finely ground nutmeg (optional)
Brown sugar
1 pound golden raisins
1 pound candied fruits and peels
1 pound chopped walnuts or slivered, blanched almonds

Coating:

1/4 cup powdered sugar

or 

1 cup confectioner's sugar
2 Tablespoons water


Dissolve the yeast in the warm water.
Combine the milk, the teaspoon of sugar, salt, 1 cup flour and the dissolved
yeast in a large bowl.  Blend, cover and let stand until it becomes bubbly
(usually about an hour for me).
Cream the butter and the granulated sugar.  
Add the eggs (and optionally, the rum or brandy) to the creamed butter and
sugar.  Blend well.
Stir in two cups of flour. 
Stir in the yeast mixture.
Stir in the remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time until the dough forms a ball.
The dough will be soft, but should hold its shape.  
Turn out the dough on a floured surface and knead well.  
Put the dough into a greased bowl, cover and let rise until doubled.

Punch the dough down and turn out on a floured surface.
Divide the dough in half.  Divide each half into three equal pieces.
Roll or pat out each piece of dough into a rectangle 14 to 16 inches long
and 4 to 5 inches wide.
Brush each rectangle with melted butter.  
Sprinkle ground cinnamon ( and nutmeg, if desired) on the buttered
rectangles, then spinkle on a layer of brown sugar followed by a mix of
raisins, candied fruit and nuts.
Bring the long sides of the rectangle together and crimp them to form a
filled roll of dough.  This may require water or egg white to make a good
seal.
Place three of the filled rolls of dough parrallel to each other on a
greased baking sheet.  At one end of the loaf, press the three ends of the
rolls together, then braid the rolls in an over-under pattern to form a
braided loaf.  Press the other three ends together to finish the loaf.
Cover and let rise until doubled.

Brush loaves with melted butter.
Bake at 350 F for 1 hour to 1 hour and 20 minutes.  
As a very enriched bread, the crust may darken rapidly.  I usually have to
cover the tops with alumium foil 30 to 40 minutes into the baking.
After baking, brush the loaves with melted butter to help keep the crust
soft.
The stollen can be sprinkled with powdered sugar or glazed with a water and
confectioner's sugar glaze. 

I often use a mix of chopped dated, chopped figs, raisins and Zante currants
in place of the candied fruit.  I tend to leave off the brandy and the nuts.
Mace as a replacement for or in addition to the nutmeg is also interesting.


Variant recipe:

Dough:

As above.

Filling:

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 
1/2 teaspoon ground mace
1 Tablespoon grated lemon peel
1 pound golden raisins
1 pound candied fruits and peels
1 pound chopped walnuts or slivered, blanched almonds


Coating:

As above.

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water.
Combine the milk, the teaspoon of sugar, salt, 1 cup flour and the dissolved
yeast in a large bowl.  Blend, cover and let stand until it becomes bubbly
(usually about an hour for me).
Cream the butter and the granulated sugar.  
Add the eggs (and optionally, the rum or brandy) to the creamed butter and
sugar.  Blend well.
Stir in two cups of flour. 
Stir in the yeast mixture.
Stir in two cups of flour.
Sift the spices into 1 cup of flour.  Stir into the dough.
Mix the fruit and nuts with 1 cup of flour.  Stir into the dough.
Stir in the remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time until the dough forms a ball.
The dough will be soft, but should hold its shape.  
Turn out the dough on a floured surface and knead well.  
Put the dough into a greased bowl, cover and let rise until doubled.

Punch the dough down and turn out on a floured surface.
Divide the dough into 3 or 4 pieces.
Shape each piece into a thick oval.
Fold the long edges in toward each other.  The top edge should cover about
3/4 of the bottom edge.  Press the edges gently together.
Place the loaves on greased baking sheets. 
Cover and let rise until doubled.

Brush loaves with melted butter.
Bake at 350 F for 1 hour to 1 hour and 20 minutes.  
As a very enriched bread, the crust may darken rapidly.  I usually have to
cover the tops with alumium foil 30 to 40 minutes into the baking.
After baking, brush the loaves with melted butter to help keep the crust
soft.
The stollen can be sprinkled with powdered sugar or glazed with a water and
confectioner's sugar glaze. 



Dresden Stollen

1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup currants
1 cup mixed candied fruit
1/2 cup candied cherry halves
1/2 cup rum
5 cups flour
1 rounded teaspoon dry active yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts (optional)
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1/4 cup melted butter
1 cup confectioners sugar


Place the fruit in a bowl.  Add the rum.  Let stand 1 hour.
Drain fruit.  Reserve rum.
Pat fruit dry and toss with 2 Tablespoons of flour.
In a medium bowl, mix yeast, 1 cup flour, salt, and 3/4 cup sugar.
Heat milk and butter to 120 F.
Beat milk and reserved rum into flour mixture.  Beat for 2 minutes.
Add eggs, vanilla, and 1 cup flour.  Beat for 2 minutes.
Add flour 1/2 cup at a time,  stirring until a soft dough forms.
Turn out on a lightly floured surface.  Knead for 5 to 10 minutes until the
dough is smooth and elastic.
Place in a lightly greased bowl, cover and allow to rise until doubled.

Punch down dough.  Knead in fruit ans nuts.
Divide the dough in half.
Roll or pat out each half into a rectangle about 8 by 12 inches and 1/2 inch
thick.
Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with 2 Tablespoons of sugar.
Fold 1/3 of the dough to the center along a long edge.  Do the same with the
other side, overlapping by about 1 inch.
Place on greased baking sheet.  Taper the ends of the loaf to make an oval.
Brush the tops of the dough with melted butter.  Cover and let rise until
doubled in bulk.
Bake in pre-heated 375 F oven for about 25 minutes until golden brown and
crusty.
When  cool, sprinkle with confectioner's sugar or make a glaze with 2
Tablespoons of water and the sugar.