As I said in my previous post, I wanna do something different for Xmas this 2022. Initially, I was planning on making a Panettone. But somehow or rather, this German Stollen intrigued me. I did some research and went down the rabbit hole (as I normally would). There are loads of variations online.
And 1 caught my attention. That is the masterful Richard Bertinet! He used Frangipane as the fillings (which is genius) and he finished the bread off with a liqueur infused butter. That wowed me! You can check out his full recipe here.
I am not a fan of marzipan as it is coked up with sugar and corn syrup. Not a fan. I am 100% sure that Frangipane will be an excellent alternative. And I am right!
As for the dough, I still stick to Peter Reinhart's version. He used a sponge as a starter which will further enhance the bread's flavor and texture. You can get his recipe from his famous cookbook: The Bread Baker's Apprentice.
Yes, this requires a full day work, but I guarantee that it is 100% worth it! You can even wrap this up as a Xmas gift. Speaking of which, Merry Xmas lovely people!
Ingredients:
Inspired by Peter Reinhart and Richard Bertinet
(Make 6 loaves)
Sponge:
Unbleached All Purpose Flour, 128g
Active Instant Dry Yeast, 25g
Whole Milk Lukewarm, 227g
Fruit Mix:
Golden Sultanas, 340g
Dried Fruits Mix (I'm using Foodsterr), 340g or A Combination of Raisins, Sultanas, Currants, Dried Apricots, Candied Orange Peels, Candied Lemon Peels, Dried Cranberries.
Kirsch / Cointreau, 227g
Dough:
Unbleached All Purpose Flour, 567g
Demerara Sugar, 28g
Sea Salt, 10g
Cookie Spice Blend Homemade, 2 TSP
Fresh Orange Zest, 1 Orange
Fresh Lemon Zest, 1 Lemon
Eggs, 2
Unsalted Butter Softened, 141g
Fresh Orange & Lemon Juice, 113g (If Needed)
High Quality Olive Oil, For Greasing
Frangipane:
Unsalted Butter Softened, 125g
Granulated Sugar, 125g
High Quality Almond Meal, 125g
Unbleached All Purpose Flour, 50g
Sea Salt, Pinch
Eggs, 2
Stollen:
Slivered Almonds, Fillings
Egg, 1
Sea Salt, Pinch
Unsalted Butter, 250g
Icing Sugar, For Dusting
Equipment:
Sauce Pot
Hand / Stand Mixer
Oven
Directions:
Please visit my "Cookie Spice Blend" page for the recipe.
Prepare the sponge.
In a large mixing bowl, add flour and yeast.
Mix to combine well.
Stir in the milk until well combined.
*The milk has to be lukewarm.*
Cover and set aside for 1 hr or until doubled in volume.
Prepare the fruit mix.
Combine everything in a large bowl.
Cover and set aside until ready to use.
Prepare the dough.
In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, cookie spice, orange and lemon zest.
Knead in the eggs and butter until it's starting to come together into a dough.
Knead inside the bowl to pick up all the nooks and crannies.
*If the mixture is too dry, add the fruit juice, 1 TBSP at a time. If the mixture is too wet, add more flour, 1 TBSP at a time.*
The dough should be soft and tacky, but not sticky.
Transfer onto a floured surface and continue kneading for 5 to 8 mins.
At this point, drain the fruit mixture and reserved the liquid.
*I like to transfer the dough and fruit mixture into a large bowl, because I do not have a large working surface to knead everything together.*
Knead the fruit mixture into the dough.
It may get too wet because of the fruits, add in more flour if necessary.
Continue kneading for about 3 to 5 mins until well combined.
*I still prefer to knead my dough with hands, so I can feel the dough. You can of cos do this on a stand mixer.*
Grease a large bowl with olive oil and transfer in the dough.
Cover and set aside to rise for 45 mins to 1 hr or until doubled in volume.
While the dough is rising, prepare the frangipane.
In a large mixing bowl, cream butter until light and fluffy with a hand or stand mixer.
It should resemble a mayo consistency.
Add in the sugar and continuing creaming until well combined.
Followed by almond meal, flour and salt.
Lastly, add in the egg and 2 TBSP of that reserved liquid.
Whip until fully incorporated.
When you hold up the frangipane, it should hold its shape and not fall off from a spatula.
Cover and set aside until ready to use.
Shaping the dough.
After 45 mins or 1 hr, transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface.
Weigh and divide into 6 equal portions.
Keep the rest of the portions covered with a lint free kitchen towel while working on 1.
Shape into a ball.
Coax the dough into a rectangle with about 1/2 inch thick.
Flip and spread a very thin layer of that frangipane onto the dough with some gap along the edges.
*Do not over spread or it will ooze out during the shaping and baking process. If you have any leftovers, you can freeze it for your next baking adventure.*
Sprinkle some slivered almonds onto the frangipane.
Fold the top edge about 3/4 way down, pinching it down lightly.
Fold the bottom edge over that folded edge, pinch it down lightly as well.
Seal off the 2 ends.
Transfer onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper, seam side down.
Gently coax into a crescent shape.
Repeat the steps for the remaining dough.
Cover and set aside to rise for 1 hr.
Baking and finishing.
Preheat the oven to 175 degree celsius or 350 fahrenheit.
Lightly season an egg with salt and beat with a fork.
Brush 2 layers of that beaten egg onto the dough.
Wack into the oven and bake for 20 mins.
Remove from oven, rotate and continue baking for another 20 to 50 mins or until it is dark amber in color.
Once the bread is baked, remove from oven and set aside to cool down slighly.
Melt butter in a sauce pot over medium heat.
Once the butter has melted, add in all the reserved liquid.
Mix until well combined.
Set aside until ready to use.
Prepare a large tray with lots of icing sugar.
When the bread is slightly cooled, but still warm, brush generously with that melted butter, or if your pot is large enuff, dip in the bread.
Dredge the bread with lots of icing sugar.
Dust off any excess sugar.
Repeat the steps for the remaining bread.
Set aside to cool down completely.
Stored in paper bags.
It will taste better the next day.
It can be kept at a cool and dry place for up to 1 week.
Slice and serve.
Did I nail it?
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