Main Ingredients:

See below ingredients and instructions of the recipe

Cooking Preparation of the Recipe:

1/2 c Candied fruit
1/2 c Raisins
1/4 c Brandy
1 c Plus 2 tablespoons milk
4 To 5 cups unbleached all
Purpose flour
2 ts Instant yeast
1/4 c Sugar
2 ts Fine sea salt
Few gratings of nutmeg
1/4 ts Ground allspice
2 lg Eggs
3/4 c Unsalted butter, melted
1 c Marzipan
Garnish:
Confectioners' sugar

Place the candied fruit and raisins in a small bowl, cover them with
the brandy, and set aside for 1 hour to 12 hours, preferably
overnight. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
Place 1/2 cup of the milk and 1 tablespoon of the flour in the bowl
of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Sprinkle the yeast
over the liquid. Cover the machine and process for 5 seconds to
blend. Add the remaining flour, sugar, salt and spices to the food
processor. Pulse 3 to 4 times to incorporate the yeast mixture. Beat
the eggs in a small metal bowl until blended. Drain the candied fruit
and raisins, saving the brandy and adding it to the eggs, and setting
the fruit aside. Add the remaining milk and 1/2 cup of the melted
butter to the beaten eggs. Using an instant read thermometer, adjust
the temperature of the egg mixture so that the combined temperatures
of the flour and the eggs give a base temperature of 130 degrees if
using a Cuisinart or KitchenAid, or 150 degrees if using a Braun. To
warm the egg mixture, place the bowl in another bowl with hot tap
water and stir for 3 to 4 minutes or until the desired temperature is
reached. If the egg mixture is too warm, cool it by placing the metal
bowl over ice water and stirring for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the egg
mixture reaches the correct temperature. With the processor running,
add the egg mixture. Process for 15 seconds. Stop the machine and
scrape the sides of the bowl. If the dough sticks to the bottom of
the bowl and the processor has trouble starting, remove the dough
form the processor. Return half of it to the bowl, spreading it out
evenly. Process in two batches, each for another 30 seconds. The
dough will be soft, but will not cling to the sides of the processor
bowl. Stop the machine and take the temperature of the dough with an
instant read thermometer, which should read between 75 and 80
degrees. If the temperature is lower than 75 degrees, process the
dough for an additional 5 seconds, up to twice more, until the dough
reaches the desired temperature. If the temperature is higher than 80
degrees, remove the thermometer, scrape the dough from the food
processor into an ungreased bowl, and refrigerate for 5 to 10
minutes. Check the temperature of the dough after 5 minutes; the
dough should be 80 degrees or cooler by that time. Scrape the dough
from the processor onto a lightly floured work surface. Press the
dough out into a 12-inch square 2 inches thick. Sprinkle the surface
with half of the drained candied fruit and raisins and roll it into a
log shape. Fold it in half and knead it for about 2 minutes to
incorporate the dried fruit. If the dough feels too firm to knead,
cover it with a towel and let it rest for 10 minutes. Flatten it and
sprinkle it with the remaining half of the dried fruits. Roll the
dough and knead it again for 2 minutes, or just enough to distribute
the fruit throughout. Form the dough into a ball, place it in an
ungreased bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Allow it to ferment for
1 1/2 to 2 hours at room temperature, 70 to 72 degrees. It will have
doubled in volume. Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured work
surface and divide it into 2 equal pieces. To form the stollen,
flatten each piece into an oval about 10 inches long, 8 inches wide,
and 1-inch thick. Roll half of the marzipan into a smooth log about
the length of the flattened dough and lay it down the center. Fold
the dough over and press the edges with your fingertips to seal.
Repeat with the remaining dough and marzipan. Transfer the loaves to
the prepared baking sheet, spaced 4 inches apart so that they don't
stick together when baking. Brush the stollen with part of the
remaining melted butter.
Cover with a sheet of plastic wrap and allow the loaves to proof at
room temperature until the dough has increased by half its size. This
may take 1 to 1 1/2 hours, depending on the temperature in your
kitchen. When the dough is ready to bake, it will be puffed but still
spring back slowly when pressed with a finger.
One hour before baking, adjust the oven rack so that it is on the
second shelf from the bottom of the oven. Place the baking stone in
the oven and preheat it to 400 degrees. Place the baking sheet of
stollen directly on the baking stone. Reduce the heat to 375 degrees
and bake the stollen for 35 minutes. Open the oven and rotate the
baking sheet. Bake the stollen for another 25 to 30 minutes, or until
the loaves are a deep golden brown. The stollen will be finished when
it reaches an internal temperature of 205 to 210 degrees on an
instant read thermometer. Remove the stollen from the oven and
immediately brush them with the remainder of the melted butter. Allow
the loaves to cool completely on a wire rack, then dust them heavily
with confectioners' sugar before serving.

COOKING LIVE SHOW #CL9018

All recipes courtesy of Charles Van Over, The Best Bread Ever

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