Recipe

Festive Stollen

All Recipes / Festive & Celebration / Baking

If you want to capture the flavour of Christmas then what can be better than a homemade Festive Stollen; a rich fruity yeast based bread filled with marzipan and dried fruits, topped with a light glacé icing. 

Traditionally always served during the festive period on its own or with lashings of soft butter and equally as delicious when toasted. Do read my Jules tips below before you start as you may want to divide the mixture into two, one for immediate enjoyment and the second for a later date.

1 large loaf
2 hours
35-40 mins
190ºC

Ingredients

  • Dough
  • 350g white bread flour
    - sifted
  • 150ml warm milk
  • 50g castor sugar
  • 2 level tsp dried yeast
  • Pinch of salt
  • 110g unsalted butter
    - softened
  • 1 egg
  • Dried Fruits
  • 40g currents
  • 50g sultanas
  • 25g candied peel
    - finely chopped
  • 40g dried apricots
    - finely chopped
  • 25g glacé cherries
    - rinsed, dried and chopped
  • 25g almonds
    - chopped
  • ½ lemon
    - grated, zest only
  • 175g marzipan
  • Glacé Icing
  • 110g icing sugar
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice

Instructions

  • Prepare yeas:
  • 01 Warm milk. In a glass jug mix milk with 1 tsp of the castor sugar. Stir and then add the 2 level teaspoons of dried yeast. DO NOT TOUCH, just leave alone until frothy.
  • Make dough:
  • 02 In a large bowl sift 300g of flour and mix with remaining sugar and a pinch of salt. Make a well in the centre of the flour, pour in the yeast and milk mixture, then add the beaten egg and softened butter. Mix everything together, either by using your hand or a wooden spoon (or dough hook of an electric mixer). Work the dough well until it leaves the sides of the bowl clean. Now work in the dried fruits, peel, nuts and lemon zest. Knead the dough well until dried ingredients evenly distributed and the dough springy and elastic to the touch.
  • 1st prove/rise:
  • 03 Tip the dough into a large buttered bowl, cover with cling film and place in a warm place to double in size. This can take anything from 1-2 hours or more, depending on how warm the resting place is.
  • Knock back:
  • 04 Once the dough has doubled in size, turn out onto a floured work surface using the reserved 50g flour, knock all the air out and knead into a smooth pliable dough. At this stage either roll or using your hands shape the dough into an oblong shape 25cm x 25cm.
  • Add marzipan:
  • 05 Using the warmth of your hands, roll the marzipan to form a sausage shape and place this along the centre of the dough, just short of the edges.
  • Assemble to bake + 2nd prove/rise:
  • 06 Fold the dough over the marzipan and carefully place the dough onto a baking sheet lined with non stick baking paper. LEAVE to rise again (double in size) in a warm place. Turn on the oven to preheat to 190ºC when the dough looks nearly ready!
  • Bake:
  • 07 When the dough has nicely risen again for the second time place the dough into the hot oven and bake for 35-40 minutes. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before lifting onto a wire wrack to finish cooling.
  • Make glacé icing:
  • 08 Sift icing sugar into a small bowl, add the lemon juice and beat to a smooth paste. Spread this icing all over the top of the stollen whilst still warm.
  • Serve:
  • 09 Slice the stollen into thick slices and enjoy either on its own or with lashings of butter. Delicious toasted also.

Notes

Stollen is always best eaten FRESH, however, as the quantity in this recipe will make one large loaf, I recommend to divide the final dough into two before baking, as this will make and bake two manageable stollen. One for eating immediately and the second for keeping in the freezer and enjoying at a later stage.

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