December 21, 2017
Ever see Marzipan and think, what in the world do I make with that?? Marzipan has tons of uses, but Marzipan can be found in the traditional German sweet loaf Stollen.
Stollen is a dense sweet bread made with flour, yeast, butter, lemon and candied fruit. The tradition dates back to the 1400s and bakeries used to make loaves weighing approximately thirty pounds. This traditions particularly became important to people living in Dresden and they had special Stollen carving tools. It became popular to make a giant Stollen and now Dresden has a annual festival. The heaviest Stollen was made in 2013 and weighed 9,360 pounds!! 😲😲😲
Stollen has had a long history in Germany and in the 20th century, Stollen played an important role during the famous World War I Christmas Truce in 1914. On Christmas eve soldiers began singing Christmas carols and it is often remembered as a oddly quiet evening. On Christmas day, soldiers left the soaked and dreary trenches. These soldiers, from both sides of the field, entered into the dreaded ‘no man’s land’. Here they exchanged whatever they had such as chocolate, tobacco, and even the Stollen German soldiers received from their families back home. Stollen was a piece of home and it is humbling to think these soldiers who faced each other in battle shared such an important gift from home.
It is always fun to make a piece of history in your own home! Give this recipe a shot and check out Verdello for your Marzipan selection!
FRUIT
- 3 cups King Arthurs’ Fruitcake Fruit Blend
- 1/3 cup orange juice or rum
DOUGH
- 1 tablespoon instant yeast
- 3/4 cup warm water
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 cup Dry Milk
- 3 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground mace
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
- 1/2 cup chopped toasted almonds
FILLING
TOPPING
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- confectioners’ sugar
- To prepare the fruit: Combine the fruits and orange juice or rum, cover, and set aside at room temperature for up to 12 hours.
- To prepare the dough: Using a stand mixer, mix and knead together all of the dough ingredients (except the almonds) to make a smooth, soft dough.
- Cover the dough and let it rise until puffy, about 60 to 90 minutes.
- To make the filling: Divide the marzipan into three pieces and shape each into a flattened 7″ log.
- To assemble the stollen: Knead the fruit and almonds into the dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly greased surface, divide it into three pieces, and shape each piece into an 8″ x 6″ oval.
- Place one piece of marzipan down the longer center of each oval, and fold dough over it lengthwise, leaving the top edge of the dough just shy of the bottom edge.
- Press the top edge firmly to seal it to the dough below.
- Place the loaves on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover them, and let them rise for 45 to 60 minutes, until puffy.
- While the stollen are rising, preheat the oven to 350°F, with a rack in the upper third.
- Bake the stollen for 30 to 35 minutes, until golden brown and its internal temperature reads 190°F on a digital thermometer.
- Remove the stollen from the oven, and brush them with melted butter. After 5 minutes, dust with Baker’s Special (superfine) sugar and/or confectioners’ sugar.
- Transfer to a rack to cool completely. Wrap airtight and store at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. Freeze for longer storage.
- Yield: 3 Stollen.
recipe from https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/christmas-stollen-recipe
