Betsy’s Stollen by mrs.chiu

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Betsy's Stollen
Submitted by mrs.chiu on December 08, 2009 at 4:06 pm

DESCRIPTION
Betsy's Stollen

SUMMARY
Yield 0 File under Holiday & Party Recipes

INSTRUCTIONS
Here's "Betsy's Stollen" recipe by Betsy Oppenneer I found in "The Bread Book" pg. 258-259 (don't ask me who the author is!):

This is a wonderfully moist stollen with a sugary glaze. It's the only one I'll ever make. (I put my notes/changes in parentheses.)

DOUGH:
1 C. raisins (I use 1/2 cranberries & 1/2 golden raisins)
1 C. mixed candied fruit (I use 1/2 cand. lemon peel & 1/2 cand. ginger)
1/4 C. orange juice or rum (I use dark rum)
2 scant Tablespoons or 2 (1/4 oz.) pkgs. active dry yeast (I use instant)
1/4 C. warm water (105-115 degrees F)
1 C. warm milk
8 T. (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
4.5 to 5.5 C. KA flour (of the 4.5 C., I substituted 1/3 C. instant potato flakes for that same amt. of flour)
1/2 C. granulated sugar
1/2 t. ground mace
2 T. grated lemon peel
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 t. salt
1 C. chopped almonds (I use slivered)
2 T. unsalted butter, melted

FILLING:
2 T. granulated sugar
1 T. cinnamon

ICING:
1 C. confectioners' sugar
About 6 T. heavy cream
Red and green candied cherries (optional)

Makes 2 stollens (I prefer to make 4 stollens.)

Begin the dough by combining the raisins and candied fruits with the orange juice or rum. Set aside.

In large bowl, soften the yeast in the water.

Add milk, 8 T. butter, 2 C. flour, 1/2 C. granulated sugar, mace, lemon peel, and eggs to the yeast. Beat vigorously with dough whisk or heavy-handled spoon for 2 minutes. The sponge will have the consistency of cake batter.

Cover bowl w/plastic wrap and a tightly woven kitchen towel. Let rise for 30 minutes, or until the sponge is light and full of bubbles. (Both coverings are necessary to protect the sponge.)

Stir the sponge to deflate it. Add salt, raisin-fruit mixture, and almonds and mix well.

Gradually add more of the remaining flour, 1/4 C. at a time, until dough forms a mass and begins to pull away from the side of the bowl. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface.

Knead, adding more flour, a little at a time, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until you have an elastic dough and blisters begin to develop on the surface.

Put dough into an oiled bowl and turn to coat entire ball of dough with oil. Cover with towel and let rise for about 45 minutes, or until doubled in size.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled work surface and divide it in half (or I do fourths). Shape each half into a 9 x 13 oval, if halving (dividing it in fourths I shape it so it's about 1/2 inch thick). Brush a Tablespoon of melted butter on each oval. Stir together the 2 T. granulated sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar lengthwise over half of each oval, dividing it equally between them. Fold each oval in half lenthwise. Carefully lift stollens onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Press the folded side of each loaf slightly to help the stollen keep its shape during rising and baking. (I've found that I shape the stollens like you would parker-house rolls using a bench knife to almost but not quite cut through the dough at the place where you want the fold to be before folding it over on itself.)

Cover with towel and let rise for 45 minutes.

About 15 minutes before the end of rising, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown (internal temp. should reach 190 degrees F). Remove from baking sheet to cool on a rack. Let sit for 30 minutes before icing. (I brushed mine with butter while warm.)

For the icing, combine the conf. sugar with enough heavy cream to make it the consistency of honey. Drizzle icing over the tops of the stollens.

If desired, cut red cherries into sixths and put them on top in the shape of flower petals. Cut the green ones into fourths to make stems and leaves.

(This would make excellent bread pudding or French toast.)
Mrs.Chiu

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