Marzipan is a wonderful old world confection made from blanched almonds and sugar. If you prefer the Stollen without Marzipan, simply eliminate it from the recipe or, if you're not sure. try one loaf with and one without.
- 1 ½ cups raisin
- 2 tablespoons dark or white rum (optional)
- ¾ cup milk
- 4 ½ cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 ½ teaspoons instant yeast
- 3 large eggs, slightly beaten
- 1 stick (4-ounces) unsalted butter, very soft
- 1 ¼ cups slivered almonds
- ½ cup diced candied orange peel (optional)
- 14 ounces marzipan (optional)
For finishing
- 2 tablespoons butter
- Powdered sugar
In a small bowl soak the raisins in the rum; set aside. Scald the milk remove from heat; set aside. In a large mixing bowl blend together the flour, sugar, salt and
yeast. With a heavy wooden spoon beat the eggs and milk into the flour mixture; dab the butter throughout the dough and knead until a soft dough is formed.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for five minutes. Sprinkle in the almonds, orange peel and rum raisin mixture, continue kneading until well blended; knead in extra flour if the dough becomes tacky.
Transfer the dough into a lightly oiled bowl; cover with plastic wrap and a clean towel. Let rise in a warm place until double in bulk about 3 hours.
Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray and set aside. Roll out the marzipan into two 10 inch ropes and flatten slightly, cover, set aside. Punch down the dough and without turning each piece into a ball again,
transfer to a lightly floured surface. Using your hands, shape each piece of dough into an 11 by 8 inch rectangle and place the marzipan in the center of each rectangle. Fold one side of the dough over the
marzipan and fold over the remaining half over the top; press the seam down lightly; do not seal. Transfer to a baking sheet, cover and let rise one hour.
Adjust oven rack to the center shelf and preheat to 375¥. Bake 35 minutes until golden brown. Remove the loaves from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack. Immediately melt the butter and brush over the surface
of the hot stollen; sift on the powdered sugar, most of it will melt into the loaves. Cool completely. Before serving sift lots of powdered sugar over the top.
Yields 2 loaves
Baking tips:
- This dough is heavy so don't be surprised if it takes a little longer than three hours for the dough to rise, especially on a cold day.
- Stollen freezes beautifully, so make them ahead; freeze them wrapped in aluminum foil.
