Stollen Spirals Recipes

STOLLEN SPIRALS

Steps:

• Stir together the zest and juice, Cointreau, cranberries and mixed fruit in a small bowl and leave to soak.
• Meanwhile, mix the flour, yeast, caster sugar and nutmeg in a large bowl. Add ½ tsp salt and rub in the butter. Beat the egg with the warm milk, then pour onto the flour mix. Stir with a round-bladed knife, then use your hands to bring the mixture together as a soft dough.
• Tip onto a work surface and knead for a couple of mins, adding a little flour only if you need to stop it sticking. Oil the bowl, return the dough and cover with cling film. Leave to rise for 45 mins-1 hr in a warm place until doubled in size.
• Line and butter a large roasting tin with baking parchment. Roll the risen dough out firmly to a long strip about 70 x 18cm. Add the pistachios to the soaked fruit, then scatter the mix along the dough. Roll the marzipan into a sausage the same length as the longest side of the dough, then place it down the centre of the dough and roll up together firmly, a bit like making a sausage roll. Trim the ends, then cut the rest into even lengths and arrange, cut side up, in the tin. Cover with cling film and leave to rise for 45 mins-1 hr until really well risen.
• Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Bake for 15-20 mins until golden. Will freeze for up to 6 weeks. Brush with melted butter and dredge with icing sugar, or mix a little water into the icing sugar, drizzle over the buns and scatter over the nuts. Eat within 2 days.

GERMAN STOLLEN

Steps:

• Place flour in a large bowl, make a well in the center, and crumble fresh yeast into it. Sprinkle in sugar and add 1 tablespoon milk. Cover and let rise at a warm place for 15 minutes.
• Heat 1 1/2 cups milk and 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter in a saucepan over low heat until butter is melted.
• Pour milk-butter mixture over yeast mixture and add 1 cup sugar, egg yolks, and salt. Knead until a soft dough forms. Cover with a clean dish towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Mix almonds, raisins, candied lemon peel, and candied orange peel together and fold into the dough. Shape dough into a loaf and place on the prepared baking sheet. Cover and let rest until the loaf has risen again slightly, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Bake in the preheated oven until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, 45 to 60 minutes. Remove from oven. Brush hot stollen immediately with 2 tablespoons melted butter and dust with confectioners' sugar.

STOLLEN

Steps:

• Whisk together flour, granulated sugar, salt, mace, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Stir in milk and melted butter. Add dissolved yeast and the eggs. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth.
• Drain raisins and currants. Add raisins, currants, almonds, citron, orange peel, apricots, and lemon zest to dough, and continue kneading until incorporated, about 10 minutes. If dough is sticky, knead in more flour.
• Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, 1 to 2 hours. Punch down dough, divide into 6 even pieces, and roll each piece into a 15-inch-long log. Braid 3 logs together, and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining 3 logs. Cover with plastic, and let rise until doubled in volume, about 2 hours more.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake stollen until golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Beat together confectioners' sugar and milk. Drizzle stollen with icing just before serving.

TRADITIONAL STOLLEN

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the milk, butter, sugar, eggs, lemon zest, salt and 3 cups flour. Add the raisins, candied fruit and almonds. Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. , Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1-1/2 hours. , Punch dough down and divide in half; cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Roll or press each half into a 12x7-in. oval. Fold a long side over to within 1 in. of opposite side; press edge lightly to seal. Place on greased baking sheets; curve ends slightly. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 1 hour. , Bake at 375° for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire racks. Combine confectioners' sugar and enough milk to achieve desired consistency; spread over stollen.

TEAR AND SHARE STOLLEN SPIRALS

Steps:

• Mix orange zest, juice and dried fruit in a bowl. Set aside until needed. Heat milk and butter in a small pan until butter melts. Cool until just warm.
• Meanwhile, using a freestanding mixer fitted with a dough hook, or in a large bowl with a wooden spoon, mix flour, yeast, caster sugar, mixed spice and pinch of fine salt. Whisk egg into milk mixture, add to the flour bowl and mix to bring together to a soft dough (if looking a little dry, add a splash more milk). Knead on medium speed if using a mixer, or tip on to a lightly floured surface and knead by hand, until soft and springy - about 5-10min.
• Return dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover and leave in a warm place to rise until doubled in size, about 11/2hr.
• Grease and line a 20.5 x 30.5cm (8 x 12in) roasting tin with baking parchment, then grease parchment. Lightly flour a work surface and roll out dough to a 28 x 38cm (11 x 15in) rectangle. Lightly flour work surface again and roll out almond paste/marzipan to the same size. Brush dough lightly with water, then press almond paste rectangle on to it. Scatter over dried fruit mixture and almonds.
• Roll up from a long edge. Trim edges to neaten. Cut into 12 even slices and arrange cut-side up in the roasting tin. Cover with clingfilm and leave to rise again (prove) for 1hr, see GH Tip.
• Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan) mark 4. Bake buns for 35min until golden. Leave to cool in tin for 5min, then lift on to a wire rack using the parchment to cool.
• To serve, mix icing sugar and orange juice to a thick drizzling consistency and drizzle over the stollen spirals. Serve.