bbd #15 – Christstollen

Annarasa is hosting this month’s Bread Baking Day. Though December is the time for festivals, holidays, and celebrations she invites us to bake festive breads for our holiday table.

Perhaps you’ve already heard of Bäcker Süpke, a professional German baker who shares some of his recipes, tips and tricks in his blog. I’ve already tested successfully two of his recipes Bauernbrot and Gugelhupf. For BBD #15 I made Christstollen, a recipe he recently published. It’s not the recipe of the Christstollen he sells in his bakery, that recipe he keeps secret. But it’s good recipe, too. I made Christstollen before. I like the following recipe more, it has a richer filling.

Christstollen
makes 1 Stollen

Sponge
200 g flour
50 g fresh yeast
120 g lukewarm milk

Final dough
400 g flour
50 g lukewarm milk
70 g sugar
160 g butter, melted and cooled down
3 g salt
a pinch ground nutmeg
a pinch of ground cloves
a pinch of ground cinnamon
336 g rum-soaked raisins
30 g rum
120 g candied fruits
60 g almond flakes

For the finishing
100 g melted butter
icing sugar

Sponge: Dissolve yeast in milk.

Add 180 g of the flour, mix well and cover with rest of the flour (20 g).

Cover bowl with plastic foil and let rise for 45 minutes at 28C.

For the final dough mix sponge, flour, sugar and milk on low speed 1.5 (Bosch MUM 8) for about 2 minutes, add butter and mix another 6 minutes on a higher speed 2 (Bosch MUM 8).

Add rest of the ingredients and mix just until they are evenly distributed.

Cover and let rise 45 minutes. Preheat oven to 200 C.

Roll the dough into a flat oval shape. Press down center lengthwise with rolling pin. Fold over lengthwise (2/3).

Bake immediately (no second rising necessary) for 50-55 minutes. Remove from oven, brush immediately with melted butter.

Let cool on a wire rack, keep in a cool place. Next day dust with icing sugar. Wrap tightly in aluminum foil and keep in a cool place for at least 2 days to ripen. According to Bäcker Süpke it tastes best after 1 week.

Tip from Bäcker Süpke: Add a little bit of Maizena to the icing sugar, so the sugar remains on top and does not soak the Stollen.

More entries and recipes in English.