Stollen in the Wood Fired Oven
Stollen is a traditional festive German fruit loaf full of nuts, spices, dried fruit, candied peel and a swirl of marzipan. It’s incredibly popular at Christmas and as it keeps really well, you can make it in advance of the Christmas madness. It’s traditional to make 2 loaves, one to give as a present and one to keep for yourself, so do give this recipe a go and enjoy a slice with a great cup of coffee or a glass of Madeira. You can see David making ours in this week’s #woodfiredweekly.
Stollen in the Wood Fired Oven – Ingredients
Makes 2 small or 1 large stollen
For the sponge:
- 10g instant yeast
- 110ml warm milk
- 5g caster sugar
- 50g white bread flour
For the dough:
- 300g white bread flour
- 1 large egg
- 40g soft brown sugar
- 6g salt
- 100g softened butter
For the filling:
- 90g sultanas
- 90g raisins
- 60g candied peel
- 1tbsp rum
- 60g flaked almonds
- 1tsp ground cardamom
- 1tsp ground cinnamon
- 150g marzipan
For the topping:
- 30g melted unsalted butter
- Icing sugar
Stollen in the Wood Fired Oven – Oven state
5 Mississippi – about 180-190C
Stollen in the Wood Fired Oven – Method
1. Mix the sultanas, raisins and candied peel together and add the rum. Leave to soak overnight if possible.
2. To make the sponge mix the sugar, flour, yeast and warm milk together and leave to rise for 30 minutes.
3. To make the dough put the risen sponge in a mixer bowl. Add the egg, sugar, salt and flour. Mix at medium to high speed to form a dough then add the butter in lumps until the butter is absorbed and the dough becomes smooth. You can do this by hand if you wish.
4. Place the dough in a bowl. Cover and leave in a warm place until doubled in size. This will take about 2-3 hours.
5. On a floured surface flatten the dough to a square about 30cm x 30cm. Put the fruit mixture and nuts on top and roll up the dough. Now knead the dough by hand to distribute the fillings. Don’t worry if it all gets messy.
6. When well mixed put the dough back in the bowl and place somewhere cool for 20 mins.
7. Roll the marzipan into 2 logs, each about 20cm long.
8. Split the dough into two and shape each half into a square about 20cm x 20cm. Sit a marzipan log on top of each half and roll the dough around it. The ends should overlap so use the spare at the ends to fully envelop the marzipan. Leave a small piece of unrolled dough on one side to create the traditional shape.
9. Place the finished loaves on a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet. Brush with beaten egg, then cover with a tea towel, bowl or oiled cling film and leave to rise somewhere warm until soft and risen: about 30-45 mins.
10. Bake the loaves at about 180-190C for 30 – 35 minutes until golden brown and firm to touch.
11. Melt a little butter and brush over the cooked stollens while still warm. Dust with lots of icing sugar until completely white and cool on a wire rack.
12. When completely cold, wrap the stollens tightly in foil and store in a tin for up to a week to mature.
Stollen in the Wood Fired Oven – Alternatives
- If you don’t like marzipan then simply leave it out; same with the almonds if you don’t eat nuts.
- Add a few dried cranberries or snipped dried apricots to the dried fruit mix if you like.
- Bake in a wreath shape and drizzle with runny icing to make a great alternative to a traditional Christmas cake.
- Add small chunks of dark chocolate & finely grated orange zest.
Stollen in the Wood Fired Oven – Wine suggestion
Our friends at Michael Sutton’s Cellar suggest a fortified wine such as Madeira to go with this recipe.
