Stollen

The butter and sugar go on the instant it leaves the oven, and that is what makes it keep.

Egg. Vegetarian, but not vegan — contains egg, dairy (butter), dairy (milk).

Ingredients

• 500 g plain flour
• 7 g dried yeast
• 80 g sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 200 g butter, softened
• 2 eggs
• about 150 ml milk, warm
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 200 g raisins, soaked in 4 tablespoons rum
• 100 g candied orange peel, chopped
• 100 g candied citrus peel, chopped
• 100 g almonds, chopped
• 200 g marzipan, rolled into a rope
• 100 g butter, melted, to finish
• 100 g caster sugar, to finish
• icing sugar, to finish

Method

1. THE BUTTER AND SUGAR GO ON THE INSTANT IT LEAVES THE OVEN, AND THAT IS WHAT MAKES IT KEEP. Its article gives the step and the reason together: the bread IS SLATHERED WITH MELTED UNSALTED BUTTER AND ROLLED IN SUGAR AS SOON AS IT COMES OUT OF THE OVEN, RESULTING IN A MOISTER PRODUCT THAT KEEPS BETTER.
2. SO THE CRUST IS SEALED WHILE IT IS STILL OPEN. A hot loaf is porous and drinks the butter; a cooled one sheds it. The sugar then sets into a shell that keeps the moisture where it is.
3. AND THE DOUGH ITSELF IS BARELY SWEET. The article is specific: EXCEPT FOR THE FRUIT ADDED, THE DOUGH IS QUITE LOW IN SUGAR. All the sweetness is the fruit, the marzipan and the finish.
4. SOAK THE RAISINS IN RUM THE NIGHT BEFORE. Dry fruit in a rich dough pulls moisture out of the crumb as it bakes.
5. MAKE A STIFF ENRICHED DOUGH AND GIVE IT A LONG FIRST RISE. Two hundred grams of butter in half a kilo of flour slows the yeast right down -- ninety minutes at least.
6. THE FRUIT AND NUTS GO IN AFTER THE FIRST RISE, NOT BEFORE. Kneaded in from the start they tear the gluten and the loaf will not hold its shape.
7. SHAPE IT ROUND THE MARZIPAN ROPE, OFF CENTRE. The article names the marzipan rope in the middle; laid off centre and folded over, it ends up in the middle once the loaf is folded.
8. BAKE IT AT A HUNDRED AND SIXTY FOR FIFTY MINUTES. Low and slow: at a higher heat the sugar in the fruit burns before the middle is cooked.
9. BUTTER IT AND ROLL IT IN SUGAR THE MOMENT IT COMES OUT, then dust it in icing sugar once cold. Two coats, not one.
10. THEN LEAVE IT A FORTNIGHT BEFORE CUTTING. The keeping is the point of the finish and the flavour only arrives with time. Wrapped in paper and foil, somewhere cool.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

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