The Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge #36: Stollen. This bread (or is it cake?) has been one of our Christmas treats for the past 20 years. I do not bake them, we buy the German-made loaves which appear at the grocery stores around November up until the first week of January. They are not expensive so I never bother to make them myself until this challenge.
There were two things I didn't follow in the recipe. One, I omitted the cinnamon powder because I have never eaten stollen with cinnamon flavor. I love cinnamon but not in stollen. Second, I shaped them using different methods.
Immediately after baking, the loaves were brushed generously with melted butter, sprinkled with a little granulated sugar, then covered with vanilla-infused powdered sugar. I wrapped the loaves in plastic film then placed them in the pantry. After 5 days they were ready to eat and the slices were moist and delicious. I love it.
There were two things I didn't follow in the recipe. One, I omitted the cinnamon powder because I have never eaten stollen with cinnamon flavor. I love cinnamon but not in stollen. Second, I shaped them using different methods.
Immediately after baking, the loaves were brushed generously with melted butter, sprinkled with a little granulated sugar, then covered with vanilla-infused powdered sugar. I wrapped the loaves in plastic film then placed them in the pantry. After 5 days they were ready to eat and the slices were moist and delicious. I love it.
an easier way of shaping stollen: form the dough into tallish loaves then cut a slit on top less than ½ inch deep just before baking
Rating:
flavor 5
texture 5
visual appeal 5
ease of preparation 5
performance 5
worth 5
Total: 30
Average: 5
flavor 5
texture 5
visual appeal 5
ease of preparation 5
performance 5
worth 5
Total: 30
Average: 5
9 comments:
Oggi, what fruits did you end up using, they look delicious. This is a bread that I am not sure that I am looking forward to making, but yours are amazing.
Yes...that is typically Christmas fare.
Very good !
We have to wait another 11 months before it is Christmas again... ;-)
Anne Marie, I used currants, dark raisins (I didn't have enough currants) and golden raisins. I marinated the candied citrus separately to be able to chop them really fine.
Sidney, I forgot to mention that I made these in early December last year just in time for Christmas. My post is 11 months too early.:-)
I have not made this yet. Yours look so good! Is the wraping in plastic and storing for 5 days before eating a traditional way of doing stollen? I'm not sure I can wait the 5 days!
Cindy, It's not really necessary. You can slice and eat it as soon at it cools. The cake is good moist as well as when the slices are left to dry out and become a little crispy.:)
Yum yum Stollen! I love Stollen, and yours looks exactly like the ones we get here! It's getting me excited about making it. Yum yum!
Daniel, yum yum indeed!:-)
This looks awesome. I liked my stollen a lot, too. Will definitely make it again for Christmas this year!
AP, thanks. It's very good, isn't it.:)
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