Christmas Stollen

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 750 g flour, double-handled
• 375 g butter, soft
• 140 g sugar
• 42 g yeast
• 125 ml milk, warm
• 375 g sultanas, soaked
• 125 g almonds, chopped
• 125 g candied lemon peel
• 1 lemon(s), untreated, zest
• 1 tsp, leveled nutmeg, freshly grated
• 2 tsp, leveled salt
• 10 drops of bitter almond flavor
• 1 shot of rum

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 12 hours; Total time approx. 13 hours 30 minutes

a recipe from the former GDR, makes 2 Stollen

Put the flour in a bowl and make a well in the middle. Grate the yeast into it, pour in 1/3 of the slightly warmed milk, sprinkle it with a little sugar and flour, and mix to a paste. Sprinkle a little flour on top and let it rise in a warm place until the flour begins to crack. Now add the softened butter, sugar, the remaining milk, and spices and knead it by hand into a firm dough (do not stir). Once the dough no longer has any white spots and feels a little greasy, beat it well as follows: Using both hands, throw the tightly bonded piece of dough firmly several times onto a completely smooth surface (e.g., a firm, smooth tabletop). Continue beating until the dough is completely smooth. Then cut the dough into about 4-5 pieces. Once the washed sultanas, almonds, and candied lemon peel have been thoroughly mixed together, the dough pieces are rolled in the mixture and lightly pressed down until the ingredients are well combined with the dough. The dough pieces are then lightly pressed back together to form a single piece. The dough is then left to rise for about another hour. One or two Stollen are formed from the dough, wrapped in baking paper, and refrigerated overnight. The next day, the oven is heated to 220°C. The dough is placed on the middle rack and baked for 10 minutes, then the heat is reduced to 180°C and the baking is completed in about 45 minutes. Once the Stollen is baked, it is generously brushed with melted butter, then sprinkled with sugar, and the sugar crust is then sprinkled with butter again. This pastry only becomes truly delicious after 4-5 days of storage and will keep for weeks.