UPDATED POST ON 30-11-2016
I have decided to upload another new recipe using yeast method which produced a softer stollen. In addition, almond marzipan is added to the bread. Please refer to recipe 2 in red for the new recipe. All those images with the Guaishushu logo is the one with yeast.
INTRODUCTION
This is not a stolen bread but a bread name Stollen.. It is a German Christmas cake bread type of sweet bake and usually served during Christmas..
As per Wikipedia:
“Stollen is a fruit cake containing dried fruit and often marzipan and covered with sugar, powdered sugar or icing sugar. The cake is usually made with chopped candied fruit and/or dried fruit, nuts and spices. Stollen is a traditional German cake, usually eaten during the Christmas season, when it is called Weihnachtsstollen or Christstollen. Stollen is a bread-like fruit cake made with yeast, water and flour, and usually with zest added to the dough. Candied orange peel and candied citrus peel (Zitronat), raisins and almonds, and different spices such as cardamom and cinnamon are added. Other ingredients, such as milk, sugar, butter, salt, rum, eggs, vanilla, other dried fruits and nuts and marzipan may also be added to the dough. Except for the fruit added, the dough is quite low in sugar. The finished cake is sprinkled with icing sugar.” (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stollen)
I did not intend to have any more Christmas bakes this year but I broke my promise again… While cleaning my kitchen cabinet, I still have some mixed fruits left. As all will know, these mixed fruits are usually used for Christmas bakes, after Christmas, it is unlikely that it will be used for other bakes… I told myself that I must think of a way to get rid of this..
When I issued my Italian Panettone post, one reader was asking me if I have a recipe of stollen. I told her I don’t and I will include in my next year’s Christmas recipes lists. However, since I want to get rid of the mix fruits, I have decided to take a bold move and baked it this morning.
I have searched high and low for the recipes.. In fact, there are many recipes and most are using yeast leavened method. But when i read the 4th recipe, it immediately caught my attention.. It is yeast free and therefore, it should belong to a quick bread category. It is leavened by baking powder. Further digesting the recipes found that the recipe called for the use of ricotta cheese which I knew that it will definitely yields a moist quick bread. The reviews confirmed my understanding and it score a 4.5 stars out of a 5 stars rating.
One reader reviewed:
“I have been baking this wonderful recipe since I first found it in 2009. I thought it was so good, I mailed a piece of the stollen along with the recipe to a family member, and since then, just about every one in my family uses this recipe. My family is German, and we always looked forward to our mother baking stollen during the holidays. Her recipe uses yeast and seemed too difficult for me. This recipe is easy and always delicious! It tastes fine as written, or you can vary the amount of candied fruit or nuts (chopped pecans instead of almonds) I like to eat mine with a little margarine spread on it…..yummy!” (Read more: http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/simple-stollen#ixzz3MF1LDtCl)
Since this is a quick bread, preparation is extremely fast and easy.. When I baked but somehow I found that my stollen was slightly flat, I opened my oven and intended to make it slightly rounder! LOL…. Oh, that created 2 parallel cracks on the top of the stollen and become rather unsightly. Do not follow me doing this wrong move.. Since my stollen is not beautiful, I thought to shelf the idea of sharing the recipe. I cut two pieces and ate it as my breakfast (I don’t usually eat any of my bakes before photo taking. Ha-ha)…As the house is full of this nice aroma and the after taste linger in my mouth, I took the courage to post to Facebook and share with members..
For purpose of this illustration, I did not put in any alcohol, instead, I soaked my dried fruits in pineapple juice.. As I do not have any silvered almond at home, I have omitted it as well. I have changed rather substantially from the original recipe because of the cups conversion. If you want, you can refer to the original recipes measured using cups.
For the updated post, marzipan was added to make it more authentic. As these are Asian recipes designed by me, all the sugar level have been toned down to suit Asian reader’s taste buds. For those who have the misconception that marzipan is sweet, homemade marzipan are not sweet and you will definitely like this rather healthy marzipan. For those who do not know what is marzipan, Wiki stated that:
“Marzipan is a confection consisting primarily of sugar or honey and almond meal (ground almonds), sometimes augmented with almond oil or extract. It is often made into sweets; common uses are chocolate-covered marzipan and small marzipan imitations of fruits and vegetables. It is also rolled into thin sheets and glazed for icing cakes, primarily birthday, wedding cakes and Christmas cakes. This use is particularly common in the UK, on large fruitcakes. Marzipan (or almond paste) may also be used as a cake ingredient, as in stollen. In some countries, it is shaped into small figures of animals as a traditional treat for New Year’s Day.” (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marzipan)
RECIPE 1 – QUICK AND EASY YEAST FREE STOLLEN
WHAT IS REQUIRED
Recipe Inspired/Adapted from: Simple Stollen Recipe | Taste of Home
Servings: Prepare one medium size stollen
300 grams of plain flour
200 grams of cream cheese (original recipe used ricotta cheese)
200 grams of mixed fruits (soaked either in rum, brandy or fruit juice)
100 grams of sugar
100 grams of butter
35 grams of silvered almonds (not in picture – I did not used)
1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
1.5 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of grated lemon peel (i have omitted)
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 egg and 1 yolk
STEPS OF PREPARATION
Pre-heat the oven to 170 degree Celsius and line a baking tray with a piece of baking paper.
Cream the butter, cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, beat until well combined. Add the soaked mixed fruits and silvered almonds. Give it a quick stir until well mixed.
Sift in the plain flour, baking powder and salt. Use a spatula or flat bladed knife to mix until it form a rough dough. Do not over mix as it will yield a chewy stollen and slight lumpy batter is acceptable. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead about 5 times. If it is too sticky, pat your hand with more flour. Roll dough into about 8 inches x 10 inches and fold one side to the other side leaving about 1 inch from the edge. Bake in the pre-heat oven of 170 degree Celsius for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown or a skewer inserted to the thickest part comes out clean. The timing of baking is for your reference, it will depend on how thick is the dough of stollen. Dust sparingly with icing sugar on top of the bread.
RECIPE 2 – YEASTED STOLLEN WITH MARZIPAN ICING
WHAT IS REQUIRED
Servings: Prepare 2 stollens
Almond Marzipan
- 125 grams of almond meal or grounded almond flour
- 80 grams of icing sugar
- 2 tablespoons of light corn syrup or egg white
- 1 tablespoon of rose water
- 1 teaspoon of almond extract
Bread ingredients
300 grams of bread flour or high protein flour
5 grams of instant yeast
150 grams of fresh milk
200 grams of mixed fruits (soaked either in rum, brandy or fruit juice)
50 grams of sugar
100 grams of butter (softened)
50 grams of silvered almonds
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon of grated lemon peel
1/4 teaspoon of salt
Others
Some melted butter
2 tablespoons of icing sugar
STEPS OF PREPARATION
- Put all icing sugar, ground almond flour, almond essence and rose water. Give it a quick blend until well mix. Add the light corn syrup or egg white, blend until it forms a pliable dough. If it is too dry, keep blending and almond will start to excrete almond oil to enhance the moisture.
- Take out and divide equally into two portions. Shape round longitudinal shape with about 2-3 diameter centre and set aside. The final shape can be readjust to follow the bread shape.
- Put all the bread ingredients (except mixed fruits and almond) in a mixing bowl and beat until the dough leaves the side of the bowl. It will take about 10 minutes using medium speed. Add the mixed fruits and almonds and stir until well combined. Note that the dough can be soft and wet but pat hand with flour to handle this soft dough.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into two. Take one dough and roll it flat to about 4 inches by 5 inches long. Put an almond marzipan near the centre of the dough. Fold one side to the other side leaving about 1 inches from the edge. Let the dough proof until double in size.
- Pre-heat the oven to 180 degree Celsius.
- After proofing, bake the bread in the pre-heated oven of 180 degree Celsius for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
- Once the stollen is out of the oven, brush with melted butter and dust sparingly with icing sugar to create a snowing scene. Cool completely before cutting into pieces.
CONCLUSION
Pardon me for my ugly stollen but rest be assured that this quick and easy recipe that yields a moist and fragrant stollen. For me, It is definitely a keeper. For more Christmas recipes, you can refer to this compilation: Christmas 2014 Special Compilation (2014 圣诞节特别汇编）
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