Finished dish photo of Christmas Bread---Stollen

Christmas Bread---Stollen

A bread variety with rich content. The recipe is from BBA with slight modifications. Stollen is a traditional German bread essential for Christmas. Since it is coated with heavy butter and powdered sugar, it is said to last from Christmas until the following Easter. After baking, the bread is dipped in melted butter while still warm, then sprinkled with vanilla sugar and powdered sugar. After resting for a few days, the rich fruity aroma, alcohol scent, and faint spice flavors are fully revealed. Slice thinly to enjoy. This bread, filled with abundant ingredients, has an exceedingly rich aroma that permeates through airtight bags and lingers in small spaces during storage. Christmas is just a few days away, prepare the ingredients and start baking! 1/3 of the recipe is available here http://url.cn/5j6H9kM

Ingredients

#Starterto taste
T55 Flour195g
Milk345g
Fresh Yeast45g
#Doughto taste
T55 Flour855g
Sugar45g
Salt16.5g
Bitter Almond Oil9 drops
Fresh Lemon Zest + Orange Zest15g
Cinnamon Powder6g
Whole Egg Liquid150g
Water180g
Butter210g
#Fillingto taste
Raisins510g
Candied Orange Peel180g
Dried Cranberries360g
Vanilla Liquor330g
Almonds210g
#Surfaceto taste
Melted Butter300g
Powdered Sugar + Vanilla Sugar MixSufficient

Steps

1

Soak raisins, candied orange peel, and dried cranberries in vanilla liquor 1-2 days in advance. Shake or stir occasionally to ensure even soaking.

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2

Drain them before kneading the dough.

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3

Clean the lemon and orange, and prepare their zest for use.

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4

Place the T55 flour from the dough ingredients into the mixing bowl of a stand mixer, make a well in the center, and add warm milk, fresh yeast, and a small amount of sugar from the starter. Mix with some starter flour until smooth and ferment for about 30 minutes at room temperature.

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5

After 30 minutes, the middle batter will double in size and have dense bubbles.

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6

Continue to add all dough ingredients except for butter into the mixing bowl: salt, sugar, bitter almond oil, lemon zest, orange zest, cinnamon powder, whole egg liquid, and water.

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7

Mix on low speed until combined, then knead at speed 5 until the dough becomes smooth and slightly fine.

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8

Add butter gradually in 2-3 portions and knead until completely incorporated.

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9

Continue kneading until a strong, translucent thin film can be stretched.

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10

Add roasted almonds and the soaked and drained fruit filling.

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11

Mix at low speed to distribute evenly.

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12

Roll the dough into a ball and place it into a container.

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13

Ferment at room temperature for 40 minutes until it increases to 1.5 times in size.

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14

Divide the fermented dough into portions of about 350g. PS: You can make larger portions, like 700g or even 1000g, but adjust the baking time accordingly.

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15

Roll them into balls.

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16

Flatten the dough, roll out 1/3 flat.

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17

Flip the dough over and press a crease in the center of the other 2/3.

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18

Fold the flattened portion over, pressing the edges into the crease.

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19

Shape the dough neatly.

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20

Let it proof slowly at room temperature until the size increases 1.5 times.

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21

Place it into a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius on the middle rack and bake for 30 minutes.

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22

After baking, while still hot, brush the surface with melted butter and sprinkle generously with powdered sugar and vanilla sugar.

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Cooking Tips

1. If T55 flour is unavailable, substitute with all-purpose flour (medium-gluten flour) or a mix of high-gluten and low-gluten flour, adjusting water quantity as needed. 2. The vanilla liquor for soaking dried fruits is made by soaking vanilla pods in vodka over a long period. If unavailable, use vanilla extract with rum or brandy, or any other liqueur you prefer. Feel free to use your favorite dried fruits as the filling. 3. Skip bitter almond oil if unavailable; it’s optional and the outcome is still delicious. 4. Fresh yeast can be replaced with high-sugar-resistant dry yeast, using 1/3 the amount of fresh yeast. 5. Adapt the baking time based on the size of portions you make.