Saturday, December 24, 2011

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!

9 comments:

Fabian said...

Hey!

I read your blog already since several months and I really love it. You write in a very appealing manner!

Now, when I read your post, I had to laugh - it's so funny to see a sweet from my country in your blog - so far away from Germany...

Just one thing: "Einfacher" normally means "easier", indeed, but since "Stollen" is male, in this case "Einfacher" just means "easy". So, enough German lessons for today :-D

Do you have "Orangeat" (candied orange: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orangeat) and "Zitronat" (candied lemon: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Succade) in Japan? This is a must for real Stollen!

And one more hint: Stollen becomes better and better, if you let it stand for several weeks. So if you prepare it at the beginning of December, it will be extremely flavourful and moist at Christmas Eve!

Enjoy :-)

Greetings from Germany,
your Fabian

Japan Australia said...

Looks great and very Christmas with all the dried fruit and spices.

Merry Christmas
from
Japan Australia

Abigail (aka Mamatouille) said...

I've found it's a bit harder now for my pizza dough to rise, and I happened upon a really neat method: stick it in an unheated oven along with a bowl of hot water and leave it a few hours. Works great! Not sure your Japanese oven would have room for a bowl of water + your stollen, though. Maybe a big box???

Anyway, it sounds really nice with those ingredients.

Happy Christmas!

Deb in Hawaii said...

So great you made your own Stollen.
Have a very Merry Christmas! ;-)

K and S said...

Thanks Fabian! I don't think we have orangeat or zitronat, but the orange peel I used had already been soaked in some alcohol.

Merry Christmas J-A, K!

Will have to give that a try Abigail :) Thanks!

Merry Christmas Deb!

Take care everyone.
Kat

Anonymous said...

You did a terrific job. I've never made stollen before. Maybe next year, I'll try.

K and S said...

I hope you do Paz, it really was easy :)

Take care.
Kat

Rowena said...

I am just getting over polynesian paralysis and slowpoke internet issues so here's wishing you both a belated mele kalikimaka. No snow this year. Blah!

K and S said...

Mele Kalikimaka Hauoli Makahiki Hou, Rowena, MotH & the kids :)

Take care.
Kat