Simple Stollen

We all have told, seen or heard jokes targeting the much maligned fruitcake. Which is really a shame, because the brick/lead weight/anvil connotation is probably not fairly earned if we base it on the plethora of European ‘fruit cakes’. These fruit cakes include Italy’s panettone and Germany’s stollen which are light and flavorful with sweetness from fruits and citrus. I consider both wonderful treats during the holidays and today I want to share with you a quick and easy (read ‘non-yeast’) recipe for stollen. This recipe is based on one I found on the King Arthur Flour website – which of course, as usual, I modified. So, preheat the oven to 325 degrees because this dough comes together quickly. And I think you will thank me for the heavenly aroma your home will have from baking this fruitcake…

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Simple Stollen

Prep time: 20 mins

Cook time: 40 mins

Total time: 1 hour

Serves: 12

A traditional yeast sweet bread from Germany, this recipe uses baking powder to keep it simple.

Ingredients

2¼ cups all purpose flour
½ cup white sugar
1½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
8 tbsp butter, cubed and thoroughly chilled
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp lemon oil
¼ tsp orange oil
⅓ cup almonds, slivered
1¼ cup dried fruit, minced
1 tbsp flour
2 tbsp butter, melted
½ cup powdered sugar

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Grease a baking sheet or prepare with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder.
Cut the butter into the flour until it creates a crumbly mixture.
In a small bowl, add the almonds and dried fruit.
Sprinkle the tablespoon of flour over the dried fruit and stir gently to coat lightly.
Add the dried fruit and almonds into the flour and stir to distribute evenly.
In a medium bowl, combine the cheese, egg, vanilla and flavorings.
Add the cheese mixture to flour mixture and stir to combine until the flour is moistened.
Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until it just comes together.
Divide the dough in half.
Roll each dough into an oval approximately 8"x7" that is ½ inch thick.
Fold the dough over onto itself stopping 1 inch shy of the other edge.
Folding along the short side, creates longer stollen with narrower slices.
Folding the long side creates shorter stollen and wider slices.
Gently place the stollen onto the baking sheet.
Bake in the center of the oven approximately 40 minutes, turning halfway through, until a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean and the edges are lightly browned.
Remove the stollen to a wire rack over a second baking sheet.
Brush the hot stollen with the melted butter and sprinkle with powdered sugar applied through a sieve.
Allow to cool completely and wrap in plastic wrap if not serving immediately.
Cut into ¾ inch slices for serving.

Notes

I used the combination of dried fruits listed below.
1/4 cup diced dried blueberries
1/4 cup dried zante currants
1/4 cup diced dried low sugar cranberries
1/4 cup diced raisins (a mix of golden, black, and red raisins)
1/4 cup of mixed preserved fruit (lemon, orange, and citron)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease a baking sheet or prepare with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Cut the butter into the flour until it creates a crumbly mixture.

In a small bowl, add the almonds and dried fruit. Sprinkle the tablespoon of flour over the dried fruit and stir gently to coat lightly.

Add the dried fruit and almonds into the flour and stir to distribute evenly.

In a medium bowl, combine the cheese, egg, vanilla and flavorings.

Add the cheese mixture to flour mixture and stir to combine until the flour is moistened.

Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until it just comes together. Divide the dough in half. Roll each dough into an oval approximately 8″x7″ that is 1/2 inch thick. Fold the dough over onto itself stopping 1 inch shy of the other edge and lightly pinch to seal.
[sp]Folding along the short side, creates longer stollen with narrower slices.
[sp]Folding the long side creates shorter stollen and wider slices.
Gently place the stollen onto the baking sheet.

Bake in the center of the oven approximately 40 minutes, turning halfway through, until a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean and the edges are lightly browned. Remove the stollen to a wire rack over a second baking sheet. Brush the hot stollen with the melted butter and sprinkle with powdered sugar applied through a sieve.