einfacher stollen

It's been awhile since I made my own stollen for Christmas, I think my archives says 2007?!

Anyway, I just bought a new Japanese book and inside they had a recipe for "Einfacher stollen" (Einfacher means easier in German).

I looked over the recipe and indeed it looked easy. I think the "real deal" stollen is bread-like, so they use yeast, but this one was more cookie/cake-like, so no yeast was involved.

Truthfully, during this time of year, using yeast is difficult especially if we don't have some sun to warm some rooms up in our apartment for the proofing.

So, I gathered all the ingredients needed and tried it out, here's the recipe if you'd like to try.

Einfacher Stollen translated from "Tabi suru Okashi-Europe edition" : makes 1
40 grams raisins
40 grams orange peel (chopped)
20 grams drain cherry (translated to candied cherry)
25 grams whole almonds
25 grams walnuts
50 cc rum (about 1/4 cup)
50 grams unsalted butter
50 grams kyorikiko (translated to bread flour)
50 grams hakurikiko (translated to cake flour)
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
50 grams almond powder
40 grams sugar
1 egg
some powdered sugar

1. The night before, soak the dried fruits and nuts in the rum
2. The next day, cut the butter into the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, cinnamon, sugar and almond powder)
3. Drain the liqueur from the fruits and nuts and add them to the dry mixture.
4. Add the egg and mix with a rubber spatula until the dry ingredients become moist.
5. Spread out onto parchment in the shape of a circle then fold it in half.
6. Chill for 20 minutes in the refridge.
7. In a 160C(325F) oven bake for 40 minutes or until light brown.
8. Cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar

NOTES: I didn't have bread flour, the flour I buy is apparently cake flour (didn't know until I looked it up), so I used all cake flour. My dough was quite sticky and hard to work with.

Also, I didn't have rum and used Grand Marnier.

Instead of going out to buy raisins, I used a mix that had raisins, dried cranberry and other dried fruits in it.

I would chop the nuts the next time, it was hard to cut through and added to the stollen falling apart.

While baking, this really spread out, the thin areas were crisp like a cookie, while the thicker areas were cake-like.

Taste wise though I liked this, especially the addition of the orange peel. The overall flavor wasn't overly boozy which was also nice. I'd make this again.

It's the night before Christmas, I hope Santa brings everything you wish for...have a Merry Christmas!