Marzipan Stollen
Yields: 2 loaves
This German Christmas bread is rich and fragrant and full of decadent flavours. The key to making a great stollen is fresh quality ingredients including homemade marzipan and candied citrus peel, fresh ground spices and real vanilla.
For The Poolish:
1 cup Anita’s Organic All Purpose White Flour
1/3 cup room temperature water
pinch of instant yeast
for the dough:
3 cups Anita’s Organic All Purpose White Flour
½ cup cane sugar
2 tablespoons instant yeast
1 tsp fine sea salt
2/3 cup warm whole milk
3 large egg yolks
¾ cup unsalted butter
scraped seeds of 2 vanilla beans
zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange
½ tsp ground cardamom
½ tsp ground ceylon cinnamon
1/3 tsp each ground mace, ground cloves, ground nutmeg
for the fruit and nuts:
¾ cup thompson raisins
¼ cup chopped dried apricots
1/3 cup candied orange peel (using homemade peel makes a big difference!)
1/3 cup candied lemon peel
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/3 cup rum
for the marzipan:
2 cups Anita’s Organic Gluten Free Almond Flour
1 ½ cups icing sugar
2 tsp pure almond extract
1 tsp rose water
1 egg white
for glaze and dusting:
½ cup clarified butter
½ cup cane sugar
icing sugar
Prepare the poolish and fruit and nut mixture the night before:
In a medium bowl thoroughly mix poolish ingredients and let stand covered on the counter 10-12 hours.
Mix the fruit, peel, nuts and rum. Cover and let stand overnight.
To prepare the dough:
In the bowl of a stand mixer mix together the yeast, salt and flour.
Add the poolish, milk, egg yolks, butter, vanilla seeds, spices and zest. With the dough hook mix on low speed (kitchen aid 2) for 10-12 minutes until the dough pulls cleanly away from the bowl and is very smooth.
Add the fruit/nut mixture and continue mixing until the mixture is evenly combined.
Place the dough in an oiled or buttered container, cover, and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
While the dough is rising prepare the Marzipan.
Pulse the almond flour in a food processor with the almond extract and rose water until combined. Add the icing sugar and pulse until combined. Finally add the egg white and blend to a smooth paste. Cool in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.
Preheat the oven to 400 F or 375 F on convection.
Turn out the dough onto a very lightly floured counter and divide in two.
Degas the dough and shape each piece into a light ball. Allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes.
To shape the stollen, turn the ball upside down onto a lightly floured counter and stretch into a wide oval.
Using the handle of a wooden spoon press down on the dough 2/3 of the way to one side to create a channel for the marzipan.
Roll a portion of the marzipan into a log the length of your dough and approximately ¾” thick and place on the dough where you have pressed it down.
Fold the longer side of dough over the marzipan and press to seal not quite all the way to the other edge so the marzipan is slightly offset from the middle.
Place the loaves on a large parchment lined sheet pan or two smaller pans. Brush the top of the shaped loaf with a bit of melted butter and cover loosely with plastic. Allow to rise for 90 minutes in a warm spot.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until dark golden bown.
While the loaves are warm brush with clarified butter and sprinkle with cane sugar. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack and then dust generously with icing sugar. Traditionally the loaves are wrapped in foil and allowed to age for two weeks before eating but they also taste great to eat straight away!