German Christmas Stollen
German Christmas Stollen is a classic fruit bread made with raisins, almonds, and citrus zest. This bread is perfect with a cup of coffee.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup chopped mixed candied fruit
- 3/4 cup apple cider
- 1 cup warm milk
- 5 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 packages active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup butter
- 2 eggs
- 1 Tbsp lemon zest
- 1 Tbsp orange zest
- 1 Tbsp lime zest
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup chopped almonds
For the Glaze
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 2 Tbsp milk
Instructions
- In a small bowl soak the raisins and mixed fruit in the apple cider for 1 hour. Drain and set aside until needed.
- In a small bowl combine the warm milk, yeast, and sugar. Stir and let sit for 10 minutes until bubbly.
- In a large bowl whisk together 2 cups flour and salt. Add milk mixture into flour and mix well. Add in eggs, zests and extract. Beat with an electric mixer 3 minutes on medium. Stir in almonds, fruit mixture, and remaining flour to form a dough which is soft.
- Turn the dough to a well-floured board and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl and cover. Let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
- Once doubled, punch dough down. Rest 10 minutes. Transfer to a well-floured board and roll into a large oval. Fold one of the long sides over within an inch of the opposite side. Place on a greased baking sheet, cover, and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.
- While dough is rising, preheat your oven to 350º. Bake loaf until golden brown, about 30-40 minutes. Cool on wire racks.
- Make the glaze by whisking together the powdered sugar and milk. Pour over cooled bread.
Notes
You can also turn this into two smaller loaves.
The milk should be around 100 degrees otherwise it will kill the yeast.
