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York for Europe

Celebrating the European city of York

Susanne’s Christmas Stollen (from Germany, Rheinland Pfalz)

christmas decoration german view

Ingredients

  • Basic yeast pastry – it is easy and fool-proof
  • 500 g flour
  • 2 sachets dried (or 1 cube 40g fresh yeast - If you use fresh yeast, mix with 250ml warm milk and 60g sugar before adding to flour.)
  • 125 ml warm milk
  • 100 g butter or margarine
  • 1 egg
  • Pinch of salt
  • 10g Vanilla sugar
  • Zest of a lemon (orange too if you wish)
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon, pinch of all spice, nutmeg (if you wish, or your favourite Christmas spices, excluding ginger)
  • Teaspoon of almond essence

Method

Add spices to flour./p>

Add milk/yeast liquid to flour. Knead. Add zest of citrus fruits.

For the stollen (no extra filling)

  • 150g raisins (can be soaked for a couple of days in rum before, if you like rum)
  • 75g candied peel (or finely chopped apricots)
  • 75g chopped almonds

Add to the dough. Knead. Place covered in a warm spot for 30 minutes or so. Pre-heat over to 175C.

For the stollen with filling

Roll out to approximately 30cm x 40 cm. Leave 2 cm edge all round free.

Spread filling of your choice. Roll up. Seals corners.

Tip: adjust fillings to suit. Poppyseed (Mohnstollen) or apples, apricots, marzipan, almonds, mixed nuts, extra dried fruit are all delicious.

For all stollen

Shape dough into oval. Place on a lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes. Then lower over temperature to 160C and bake for another 40 minutes.

Brush with melted butter, sprinkle liberally with sugar while hot – or add a layer of icing sugar powder to taste.

Delicious warm. Keeps, wrapped in foil, for weeks. We never manage to keep it once out of the oven!