Best Stollen Ever

[pscot]

I generally make a Christmas stollen. For years I've been using a recipe from Doktor Oetker's Schulkochbuch, which dates from 1960. This year I decided to move with the times, so I tried a recipe from a Scandinavian cookbook, a 1967 vintage. Post-war German cooking had a somewhat Spartan quality. The Swedes, by comparison, are decadent. When I started weighing out the ingredients, I realized that this was going to make an enormous cookie; 14 ounces of flour combined with 10 ounces of butter and 1 and 1/2 cups of heavy cream in a yeast dough. This was supposed to produce a moderately heavy dough...not.

I chickened out and started adding extra flour while the dough rumbled around in the stand mixer. I ended up with 6 1/4 cups of flour instead of 3 1/2, and had to stop myself from adding more. The recipe also called for 2 ounces of moist yeast, so I used 2 packages of dry. On the first rise, the dough practically exploded. After 2 rises, with candied fruit and almomnds mixed in, the loaves tripled in size, but they spread out, not up. Bake in a 390 degree oven for 20 minutes, it said. After 20 minutes, the stuff was nicely browned, but when I tried to thump the crust, for that hollow sound it's supposed to make, it gave like a pudding.

By now I'm thinking, OK, we're doing this in the interest of science. We learn from our mistakes. I turned the heat down, and waited another 10 minutes. I let the odd looking loaves cool a bit, then, as an act of faith in the power of ritual, I brushed them with butter and applied a thick drift of powdered suger. I had some for breakfast this morning. Crispy crust (not chewy),perfect crumb, not too sweet. Best stollen I've ever made, though I think I need to cut back on the cardamom. It's a lot stronger when you grind it fresh.

[Tesha]

1. good grief!

write this down before you forget!

:toast: well done!!!

[pscot]

2. I put a postit in the cookbook

I think a cooler, slower final rise would make for a higher loaf. The kitchen was too warm and so was the dough.

[pengillian101]

8. I use post-its also. But here it all is for you. Print for prosperity,

Best Stollen Ever

I generally make a Christmas stollen. For years I've been using a recipe from Doktor Oetker's Schulkochbuch, which dates from 1960. This year I decided to move with the times, so I tried a recipe from a Scandinavian cookbook, a 1967 vintage. Post-war German cooking had a somewhat Spartan quality. The Swedes, by comparison, are decadent. When I started weighing out the ingredients, I realized that this was going to make an enormous cookie; 14 ounces of flour combined with 10 ounces of butter and 1 and 1/2 cups of heavy cream in a yeast dough. This was supposed to produce a moderately heavy dough...not.

I chickened out and started adding extra flour while the dough rumbled around in the stand mixer. I ended up with 6 1/4 cups of flour instead of 3 1/2, and had to stop myself from adding more. The recipe also called for 2 ounces of moist yeast, so I used 2 packages of dry. On the first rise, the dough practically exploded. After 2 rises, with candied fruit and almomnds mixed in, the loaves tripled in size, but they spread out, not up. Bake in a 390 degree oven for 20 minutes, it said. After 20 minutes, the stuff was nicely browned, but when I tried to thump the crust, for that hollow sound it's supposed to make, it gave like a pudding.

By now I'm thinking, OK, we're doing this in the interest of science. We learn from our mistakes. I turned the heat down, and waited another 10 minutes. I let the odd looking loaves cool a bit, then, as an act of faith in the power of ritual, I brushed them with butter and applied a thick drift of powdered suger. I had some for breakfast this morning. Crispy crust (not chewy),perfect crumb, not too sweet. Best stollen I've ever made, though I think I need to cut back on the cardamom. It's a lot stronger when you grind it fresh.

********
I put a postit in the cookbook

I think a cooler, slower final rise would make for a higher loaf. The kitchen was too warm and so was the dough.

[Neecy]

3. Hey, if it tastes good it was a success

My grandmother was from Berlin and she made Stollen every Christmas. Her recipe is loaded with butter but if you knead it well enough it'll give you a very moist, flaky dough. It's a big recipe and makes 8 loaves - it's easy to cut in half.


* 6 pounds flour
* 2 cups white sugar
* 7 oz yeast
* 1 lb golden raisins
* 1 t almond extract
* 3 t salt
* 3 lb butter
* 1 quart whole milk
* 1 lb dark raisins
* 1 lb blanched almonds, ground finely (but not overly fine – you get it)
* 1/2 lb citron, chopped finely (as above) and floured

In a saucepan, heat the milk. Remove from heat and add butter, sugar and salt. When just warm, add yeast. Put into large mixing bowl and begin to add flour, about five and a half pounds, mixing well after each addition. Stir in raisins, citron and almonds. Add almond extract. Mix well and knead on floured board (dough will be a little sticky – you’ll use probably half a pound of flour doing this, which accounts for the six pound total) until it’s very smooth and elastic (about 20 minutes). Put into a covered bowl and let it rise until doubled. Divide dough into 8 parts and flatten each piece into a circle and fold over *almost* in half – the bottom diameter will be larger than the top. Let rise again until doubled and bake at 350 for 35 minutes. When cool, dust heavily with powdered sugar.

[pscot]

4. Your Oma must have had arms like Popeye

to knead a 15 pound lump of dough for 20 minutes. I guess teepee livin' has made me soft. I'm a dedicated kitchen machine fan. That sounds like an ur-stollen. They keep wonderfully. I heard archaeologists uncovered one in a Wendish burial mound dating from the 8th century. With a little cream cheese, it was still perfectly edible.

[kentauros]

5. 15 pounds is a bit much for your average home-mixer,

even a KitchenAid. Better to use a small 20-qt Hobart ;)

I remember the best bakery job I had, the owner certainly had arms like Popeye! :P

[Neecy]

7. She was a tough little Berliner

And they do keep very well. It's traditional to eat the last Christmas Stollen at Easter, and hers still tasted great. She froze them, of course.

My mother was less than thrilled to take over the Stollen-making when my Oma got too elderly to do it. I can still hear her swearing during the kneading process, lol.

[katkat]

6. what no photos? n/t

[housewolf]

9. What fruits does your recipe call for?

I'd love to have the recipe, if it's not too much to ask. Just the ingredients list with quantites would be fine. There are ingredients and quantites listed above, I'm just not sure it's a complete list.

Thanks! I hope your familly and friends loved you stollen too.

[pscot]

12. Recipe

Disclaimer: Baking is supposed to be an exact science (which is why no two recipes are alike), so I scrupulously weighed everything, changing the amounts as I went along. I've never been good at taking direction. I hope this helps, but your results may vary. Stollen is just bread, with extras. The basics still apply.

The recipe called for
14 oz. flour,about 3 1/2 cups, (I kneaded in an additional 3 cups of flour)
10 Oz. butter. I clarified 3 cubes of salted AA butter, and got about 10 ounces
1 1/4 cup cream,
1/2 cup sugar,
2 oz moist yeast (I used 2 pks of Fleischman's dry),
1/2 tspn salt (I used 1 tspn kosher salt),
1/4 tspn nutmeg,
1 tspn cardamom (if you grind your own you may want to use a bit less. As the bread has mellowed, the cardamom flavor has become less pronounced, though still nicely aromatic.
4 oz each of candied orange peel, lemon peal and slivered almonds; vary these amounts to taste
1 pound of raisins (I used more almonds and less raisins)

Proof the yeast in 1/4 cup of warm sugar water
Put the flour, sugar, salt, spices and yeast in a stand mixer, if you have one, or mix in a bowl. Warm the cream and add to the flour, along with the melted butter. This is going to be a messy dough if you do it by hand. I began with the amount of flour the recipe called for. The dough just seemed much too loose, so I gradually added another 3 cups of flour which gave it a consistency I liked. Kneading time was around 10 minutes, probably more by hand. Butter the top and cover. Let it double in size.

During the second kneading, work in the fruit and nuts. I did this with the kitchenaid. It worked fine, though I had to stop periodically to even things out. Some recipes call for soaking the fruit in rum or dredging it in flour. It doesn't seem to be necesary. If you want to add rum or kirschwasser, do it during the first kneading. If you wanted to substitute dried cherries or cranberries for some of the fruit, I would recommend pre-soaking those.

Cover and let the dough rise again. It will take longer this time. You may be tempted to speed things up by putting it in a warm spot. I did. Be careful with this. The dough has so much fat in it that if it gets too warm, the loaves won't hold their shape. Trust me on this.

After the second rising, divide the dought in two, shape each piece into a flat round and fold over to make a loaf. Put them on a baking sheet and let them rise. Not too warm, or they'll spread out. Bake in a 375 oven for about 30 minutes. If they seem to be browning too fast, turn the heat down a bit about halfway through.

When slightly cooled, brush with melted butter and sift on a thick layer of powdered sugar (when you think you have enough, do it again). The additional grease and sugar will keep the stollen from going stale. Ours generally disappear around Washington's birthday.

[housewolf]

13. Owwwwww.... Thank you!

Sounds delish! It's after Christmas, but it's still the holiday season for a little while yet - I'll have to give it a try.

Thanks for taking the time & making the effort to type the whole recipe in.

Yummmmmm!!!!!

There's science involved with bread-baking (which is why pros strictly weigh ingredients so that they get consistent results), but also art. There's much to be said for making whatever adjustments are necessary to achieve the correct consistency of dough. Sounds like you did good!


:toast:

[katkat]

10. no recipe

Man, I can't believe this. I just went looking for my grandmother's stollen recipe and can't find it. It was one of those things I never quite got to making during Christmas, so I hadn't realized I didn't have it.

So emails have been dispatched to all the relatives asking if they have it. At least I have my Mom's recipe box and cookbooks, thank goodness. But I just realized yesterday that Mom's red cabbage recipe is nowhere to be found.

I think probably from the age when they can first write, kids should start a notebook of their Mom's and grandmom's recipes. Not having recipes is like doing family history and finding so many unlabeled photos. Or photos labeled "Uncle Bert and Tillie" when you have no idea who they are.

[Mira]

11. Yeah, I liked reading that thread. Here is a picture of what I baked:

This is Stuttgarter Hutzelbrot.

In my opinion it is the fruitcake worth eating.
Made with dried, re-constituted pears (Hutzeln) and dried other fruits, dates, figs, 3 kinds of nuts, raisins (both kinds) a little sugar, lots of yeast and no butter. Flour.
Loaves have to rise overnight.
The shine is from brushing them after baking with the water saved from boiling the dried pears.

The loaves are about 12" x 8"x about 4".

You eat it sliced thin with just a little butter.
Drink a little Cherry schnapps with it if you feel so inclined, or not.