Stollen or Christstollen «German Christmas bread»

Kneading time: 15´

Temperature of the dough: 25 ºC.

1st Fermentation of the dough without dividing: 10´.

2nd Fermentation of a piece of the divided dough: 15´.

3rd Fermentation of a formed piece: 1h

Baking time: 30´.

Temperature of the oven: 190 ºC.

BREAD-MAKING

• Previous preparation, knead part of the flour, part of the milk and the whole of the yeast to make a dough and leave to ferment from 2 - 24 hours  covered and kept in the fridge.
• Add the rest of ingredients together with the dough and knead with the exception of the fruit, raisins, almonds, and vanilla powder or vanilla and nutmeg paste, which are added at the end.
• Once a thin and elastic dough is obtained, let it rest away from drafts
• Once settled, divide it into pieces of 400 g. and add the fruit, the raisins previously marinated in rum, the almonds, the nutmeg and the vanilla.
• Form short bars making sure that the raisins and fruits do not fall out. 
• Let it stand for 10 minutes.
• With a rolling pin or the bottom edge of your hand  press down along the length of the stollen towards the right of the center to create a divot and characteristic hump.
• Place on well-greased plates and ferment at 30ºC and 75% humidity, trying not to give too much volume.
• Bake without steam in an open oven draft.

Notes:

• Dough weight 400 g. Weight once cooked 350 g.
• Once the pieces are cooked and cooled, the fruits that may have been burned during cooking are removed from the surface of the Stollen, as they could be bitter.
• Cover it with melted butter and coat it with sugar to later sprinkle with icing sugar.
• The traditional Stollen can also be filled with marzipan.