Christmas Stollen

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• Easy

• Serves: 15
• Yield: 1 stollen
• Ready in: 2 hours 40 mins (2 hours Prep - 40 mins Cook)

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons dried active baking yeast
• 175ml (6 fl oz) warm milk (45 C)
• 1 large egg
• 75g (3 oz) caster sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 75g (3 oz) unsalted butter, softened
• 350g (12 oz) bread flour
• 50g (2 oz) currants
• 50g (2 oz) sultanas
• 50g (2 oz) red glace cherries, quartered
• 175g (6 oz) diced mixed citrus peel
• 200g (7 oz) marzipan
• 1 heaped teaspoon icing sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• toasted flaked almonds for sprinkling on top

Preparation method

1.   In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm milk. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2.   In a large bowl, combine the yeast mixture with the egg, caster sugar, salt, butter, and 3/4 of the bread flour; beat well. Add the remaining flour, a little at a time, stirring well after each addition.
3.   When the dough has begun to pull together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead in the currants, sultanas, dried cherries and mixed peel. Continue kneading until smooth, about 8 minutes.
4.   Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
5.   Lightly grease a baking tray. Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the marzipan into a rope and place it in the centre of the dough. Fold the dough over to cover it; pinch the seams together to seal.
6.   Place the loaf, seam side down, on the prepared baking tray. Cover with a clean, damp tea-towel and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 180 C / Gas mark 4.
7.   Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 150 C / Gas mark 2 and bake for a further 30 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown.
8.   Allow loaf to cool on a wire cooling rack. Dust the cooled loaf with icing sugar, sprinkle with cinnamon and finish with toasted flaked almonds.