CHRISTMAS DRESDEN STOLLEN (with yeast)

CHRISTMAS DRESDEN STOLLEN (with yeast)

For the dough:
200 g butter 82% (150 g for the dough and 50 g for soaking)
2 eggs
500 g flour (+2 tablespoons for the dough)
200 ml milk 3.2%
150 g sugar
0.5 tsp salt
10 g dry yeast
zest of 1 orange
spices, a pinch of each (1 tsp total)
vanilla, ground ginger, ground nutmeg, cardamom.
150 g powdered sugar for sprinkling

For the filling:
300 g dried fruit (I used blue raisins, white raisins, and dried apricots)
100 ml rum for soaking
80 g cranberries
80 g candied fruit
200 g nuts (I used almonds and walnuts)
First, wash the raisins and dried apricots with hot water, dry them with a paper towel, pour rum over them, cover them in an airtight container, and set aside for at least 1 day.
Shake from time to time so that the dried fruit is evenly soaked and absorbs the rum.

Prepare the dough:
Add 1 tablespoon of sugar (from the total amount in the recipe), dry yeast, and 2 tablespoons of flour to warm milk.
Mix everything, cover, and place in a warm place to form a cap.
I place it in an oven preheated to 50°C for 10-15 minutes.

Combine the sugar with the spices, add the orange zest (it is important to remove only the top layer without the white pith), eggs, salt, and mix everything thoroughly.

When the dough has risen in volume, add the egg mixture and sifted flour and mix.
Add soft butter and knead the dough well on a work surface (10-15 minutes).
At first, it will stick to your hands, but that's how it should be. Do not add more flour so that the stollen is not dense and dry.
The dough will be soft, pleasant, and fragrant.

Place the dough in a bowl, cover, and put in a warm place.
I put it in an oven preheated to 50°C, but no higher, to speed up the process (1.5-2 hours).

When the dough has risen, roll it out on a floured work surface and add the rum-soaked dried fruit, roasted nuts, cranberries, and candied fruit.

Usually, the dried fruit absorbs all the rum, but if you have any left over, strain it through a sieve.

Grease your hands with vegetable oil and add the dried fruit to the dough so that it is evenly distributed.
It will stick to your hands again, but do not add any flour.

Divide the dough into 2 parts, roll into an oval shape, make a small indentation, and wrap the stollen with the smaller side.

Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving space between them so they don't stick together during baking, and place in a warm place for 20-30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 160°C and bake the stollen in top/bottom mode without convection
for +/- 1 hour until golden brown.
Mine took 1 hour and 10 minutes to bake.

Check if they are ready with a wooden skewer; it should come out dry.

Transfer the hot stollen to a wire rack, brush well with melted butter, and while still hot, sprinkle generously with powdered sugar to form a white cap.
Leave to cool completely and only then wrap in parchment paper, then foil, and place in a cool, dry place to mature for 2-3 weeks.
During this time, the stollen will mature and develop its full flavor.
Before serving, sprinkle with powdered sugar again, cut into small pieces, and enjoy this delicious, festive Christmas treat.
Bon appetit 🤗