Christmas Stollen

December is a festive month that we look forward to celebrating with dear ones. As soon as Thanksgiving is over we listen to Christmas music on our favorite radio station throughout the day. 

More than a month, Christmas lights are sparkling in the neighborhood and trees standing tall in the malls. Stores shelves are filled with goodies. People are busy shopping and wrapping presents for loved ones. Santas are walking in the malls. It's truly Christmas spirits everywhere. To me Christmas is all about spirit of giving, reading Christmas stories, watching movies with kids, making festive drinks and baking.

  
It is almost Christmas now. We haven't made ginger bread cookies yet for Santa. No worries. We are going to leave out special Christmas bread and hot chocolate for Santa this year. So, I am sharing a very famous bread  recipe "Stollen" which is a must in Germany during Christmas. This traditional German loaf contains dried fruits, nuts, spices, butter, rum, flour and yeast. Original Stollen shape is a large oval bread, folded in half and powdered sugar or icing on top which symbolizes newborn baby Jesus wrapped in a white swaddling clothes.

To make a long story short I am going to give some basic facts about Stollen. Christstollen, a scrumptious advent treat originated in the city of Dresden, Germany in 1400s. According to the church doctrine only flour, oats, oil and water were used. It was tasteless, because Catholic Church forbade the use of milk or butter and spices during advent season as a part of fasting. In the 15th century The Royal Saxon Family of Dresden addressed the Pope to allow the use of butter. It was granted after many generations in return of paying fine by Stollen bakers for the construction of the Cathedral. Over the centuries, recipe of Stollen changed with richer and tastier ingredients. Now "Dresden Stollen" is a registered trademark to ensure quality and authenticity.  

There are many recipes for Stollen and here is a easy recipe of mine. I didn't use spice and rum for this bread because couple of days back I baked Indian fruit cake with spices and rum. So I didn't want same flavor for Stollen. I just swapped out spices for lemon zest and lemon extract to add another dimension of flavor. 

Ingredients~
4 cups all purpose flour plus extra for dusting
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 cup butter,  
2 tsp  pure lemon extract
2 tsp lemon zest
1 cup warm milk
1/4 cup warm water
2 cups  dried mixed fruit
1/4 cup powdered sugar 

Method~ 
This bread is made by sponge method. To make the sponge, pour water and warm milk in a large bowl, sprinkle the yeast. Add in 1 cup flour and one tsp brown sugar. Stir well and cover with a plastic wrap. Let it rise for 25-30 minutes or until full of bubbles.

Add sugar, beaten egg, butter, fruit mixture, lemon zest, lemon extract. Beat well with a wooden spoon. Gradually add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time. Scrape down sides of the bowl constantly with a rubber spatula. Soon the dough will begin to pull together, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Continue kneading until smooth, about 4-5 minutes. Do not add too much flour. Coat the dough with oil and place it in a lightly oiled large bowl. Cover with a plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel and let it rise in a draft free area for at least 1  1/2 hour or until doubled.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Punch down  the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead it lightly. Divide the dough into two equal portions. Roll each dough 8x6 inch rectangle and fold in half lengthwise. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and let it rise for 40 minutes in a draft free area.

Arrange the oven rack in the 2nd position from the bottom  of the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and slice the bread before serving.