Nana's Christmas Stollen " A German Christmas treat. This recipe was handed down by my great grandmother to my grandmother to my mother. "
Makes 3 loaves
Ingredients 1 1/2 cups milk 1/2 cup white sugar 3/4 cup butter 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 eggs 2 egg yolks 5 2/3 cups all-purpose flour 1 ounce active dry yeast 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom 1/2 cup raisins 1/2 cup candied citrus peel 1/2 cup candied cherries
Directions
1 Scald milk. Add sugar, butter, and salt, and cool to lukewarm. Add 2 whole eggs, and 2 yolks. Mix.
2 Add to 3 cups flour and yeast in food processor. Process and let rise until double.
3 Add cardamom, raisins, citron, and cherries, and rest of flour. Process and put on floured board and knead. Let rise in greased bowl.
4 When risen, cut into 3-4 pieces. Roll each into an oval, butter, and fold in half lengthwise. Put on greased baking sheet, cover, and let rise until double.
5 Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 25 minutes.
6 Remove to rack. When cool, frost with white butter frosting and decorate with candied cherry halves and sprinkle with colored sugar.
Stollen is Germany's traditional Christmas yeast bread, stollen is a rich, dried fruit-filled loaf that's often topped with a confectioners' sugar icing and decorated with candied cherries. It's shaped like a folded oval and somewhat resembles a giant PARKER HOUSE ROLL. A yeast roll that became famous during the late 19th century at the Parker House, a Boston hotel. It gets its special shape when an off-center crease is made in a round piece of dough before it's folded in half. The result after baking is a light, puffy bun.
Scald [SKAWLD] n. A dry, tan- or brown-colored area on the skin of a fruit, such as an apple. It's usually caused by overexposure to sunlight and rarely affects the fruit quality. scald v. 1. A cooking technique — often used to retard the souring of milk — whereby a liquid is heated to just below the boiling point. 2. To plunge food such as tomatoes or peaches into boiling water (or to pour boiling water over them), in order to loosen their skin and facilitate peeling. Also referred to as BLANCH.
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