Wooden Fingerboards Climbing

Daring Bakers December Challenge: Christmas Stollen. Mine is filled with marzipan decorated Christmas cookies

The 2010 December Daring Bakers' challenge hosted by WAS Penny of Sweet Sadie's Baking . She chose to challenge Daring Bakers' to make Stollen. She adapted a friend's family recipe and it Combined with information from friends, Techniques from Peter Reinhart's book ......... and Martha Stewart's demonstration.

As usual the presentation of the challenge must be in English. Once submitted I will say that this month is about to make a stollen. Typical Christmas sweet German. It originated in the Saxon city of Dresden and its elaboration is a bit long and laborious. But the result is exceptional. Several successful versions and one of them is the filling of marzipan stollen which is what I have set for this challenge. It's really rich and strong, nothing better to face the cold days and long winter.

hope you like it and enjoy it as much as I mulled wine, coffee, tea, chocolate or what more you want. It's worth the work, this real jewel of Germanic pastry. I recommend it.

filled with marzipan STOLLER

Ingredients:
For the first dough: 375 gr
.
strong flour 250 gr.
milk 100 gr. Bakery fresh yeast
15 gr. of flour improver (optional)

For the second mass 625 gr.
strong flour 150 gr.
milk 8 gr.
salt 150 gr.
sugar 375 gr.
butter 300 gr. raisins soaked in rum and well drained
225 gr.
chopped candied fruit 200 gr.
rolled almond lemon zest
a little grated nutmeg
a little ground cloves
a little vanilla or vanilla sugar

For the marzipan 250 gr.
ground almonds 200 gr.
powdered sugar 50 gr.
water a drop of almond extract (optional)
Finally:

melted butter and powdered sugar (the exact)

Preparation of marzipan, the day before : Place the pot blender all the ingredients with the paddle attachment on medium speed and give. Let it knead well, then let stand in a cool, dry, covered with plastic wrap for 24 hours. After this time and can be used to make figurines, nougat, gingerbread Cádiz ... etc. or if it is nougat box, put it directly, alone or combined with other elements and stop pressing for at least 24 hours. The process of kneading can be done perfectly by hand. Is preserved for a long time in a cool, dry place, tightly capped.
Stollen Preparation: In the pan of the mixer or in a bowl, put the 375 gr. strong flour, milk at room temperature, crumbled yeast and improver if used, knead and let stand covered until double in volume. Then put everything in a large bowl and add the remaining flour, strong, indicated for the second mass, milk, salt, sugar, lemon zest, nutmeg, ground cloves, vanilla or vanilla sugar and 125 gr. butter, knead again and add the remaining butter. When it is well incorporated add the raisins, almonds and candied fruit, knead a few times for fruits and raisins are well-incorporated but do not break and leave the dough in block for 20 minutes tightly covered with plastic wrap. After these 20 minutes of rest divide the dough into portions of 500 gr. bowling, making sure that the fruit is on the inside and the ground is not broken. These balls then let stand covered for 15 minutes. After this time, flatten slightly and bolar the table and a lightly floured rolling pin, rolling the central part so that the sides are a little more bulky or heavy. Place marzipan uncilincro as shown in the picture and join the sides. Let it ferment well covered. There should be a very long fermentation to be kept moist and do not lose good quality. Once volume has increased slightly brush with egg and bake at 185-190 º C for 20 minutes. While this will obviously depend on the size of Stollen and ovens. Remove from oven, place on hot grill and brush with plenty of melted butter. Batter immediately in powdered sugar, let it cool completely and store tightly covered. It is well preserved and are richer when they are made in advance.