My mom kept this paragraph that explained the history of the word stollen and the Christmas tradition. We would include a copy of the paragraph when we gave the stollen as gifts.
This is the legend of how stollen got it's name: One winter in the 1850's in Dresden, Germany there was a coal mine cave in that trapped many miners underground for many days. The miners were rescued and they had stayed nourished by sharing the loaves of fruit and nut bread in their lunch pails that their wives had baked. The bread contained raisins, citron, butter, and leavening, was baked for its nutritional value and flavor. It also "aged well" and stayed great tasting after weeks, unlike other bread. The word "Stollen" is the old German word meaning "mine shaft." Stollen became a traditional delicacy baked and eaten during the winter holidays.
These were directions that my dad photocopied from a Goleta Bakery stollen that they once ordered from Goleta, CA. I added my observations to these directions.
1. Always keep tightly enclosed in original wrapping otherwise the bread will dry out. We wrap ours in foil and then in an airtight plastic bag.
2. Europeans let the stollen "age" it at room temperature for one or two weeks, but stollen taste great right away too.
3. In Europe, stollen is always served sliced medium thin, plain and without previous heating. In other places, like in the U.S., I have seen people enjoy stollen toasted and buttered. It make a delicious treat anytime of the day when served with coffee or tea.
Mrs. Bauer's German Stollen
A colleague of my dad's figured out the measurements while watching my mom make stollen. Here is the recipe.
This is the legend of how stollen got it's name: One winter in the 1850's in Dresden, Germany there was a coal mine cave in that trapped many miners underground for many days. The miners were rescued and they had stayed nourished by sharing the loaves of fruit and nut bread in their lunch pails that their wives had baked. The bread contained raisins, citron, butter, and leavening, was baked for its nutritional value and flavor. It also "aged well" and stayed great tasting after weeks, unlike other bread. The word "Stollen" is the old German word meaning "mine shaft." Stollen became a traditional delicacy baked and eaten during the winter holidays.
These were directions that my dad photocopied from a Goleta Bakery stollen that they once ordered from Goleta, CA. I added my observations to these directions.
1. Always keep tightly enclosed in original wrapping otherwise the bread will dry out. We wrap ours in foil and then in an airtight plastic bag.
2. Europeans let the stollen "age" it at room temperature for one or two weeks, but stollen taste great right away too.
3. In Europe, stollen is always served sliced medium thin, plain and without previous heating. In other places, like in the U.S., I have seen people enjoy stollen toasted and buttered. It make a delicious treat anytime of the day when served with coffee or tea.
Mrs. Bauer's German Stollen
A colleague of my dad's figured out the measurements while watching my mom make stollen. Here is the recipe.
1/2 to 1 pound of butter at room temperature
7 1/2 cups flour mixed with 1 cup sugar and 3/4 tsp salt
8 packages of yeast or 6 cakes of yeast or 16 tsp.of yeast in 1 1/2 cups very lukewarm water with 1 Tbsp. sugar.
1 1/2 cups scalded milk (I put the milk in a glass measuring cup and microwave it for 2 to 3 minutes. I let it cool to warm if it is too hot so as not to burn the yeast.)
1 grated lemon peel, 1 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1 1/2 tsp cardamom,1 pkg. white raisins and 1 pkg. currants, 1 8 oz. container of candied citron chopped fine, 1 8 oz. container candied orange peel (optional), 1 1/4 cups almonds silvered or chopped fine
1. Let the butter soften at room temperature or melt the butter in a microwave.
2. Prepare the yeast by adding 8 packages of dry yeast, 1 Tbsp. sugar to 1 1/2 cups of lukewarm water. Be careful the water is not too hot. Set this mixture in a warm, still place, cover with a clean cloth and allow the yeast to bubble and rise. I took off the cloth and this is what the yeast, warm water and sugar mixture looks like:
2. Prepare the yeast by adding 8 packages of dry yeast, 1 Tbsp. sugar to 1 1/2 cups of lukewarm water. Be careful the water is not too hot. Set this mixture in a warm, still place, cover with a clean cloth and allow the yeast to bubble and rise. I took off the cloth and this is what the yeast, warm water and sugar mixture looks like:
4. In a large non-metal bowl mix the flour, sugar and salt together. My Joe says that the yeast doesn't rise as well in metal bowl. Also, make sure the salt is mixed in because the yeast also doesn't rise as well if it touches high concentrations of salt. Add the butter and yeast to the dry ingredients. Then add the milk and dried fruit and nut mixture. Fold out on a floured surface and knead, adding flour until the dough is soft and doesn't stick to your hands. Put the dough back in the bowl, cover with a towel and let rise until double in size in a warm quiet place. This takes about an hour.
5. After the dough has risen, fold it out onto the floured surface again and divide the dough into the desired number of stollen loaves. I usually make three or four loaves. Pat the dough pieces
to make a rectangle and then fold the long edge over so the edge is along the middle of the rectangle. Curve the ends slightly to make a crescent shape or keep the dough as a narrow rectangle. Put the loaves on greased cookie sheets and let rise a final time in a warm, quiet place.
to make a rectangle and then fold the long edge over so the edge is along the middle of the rectangle. Curve the ends slightly to make a crescent shape or keep the dough as a narrow rectangle. Put the loaves on greased cookie sheets and let rise a final time in a warm, quiet place.
6. Bake about 40 to 50 minutes in a 325 degree oven until lightly brown and until the loaf sounds hollow when you tap on it. Brush the warm stollen with melted butter and sprinkle with vanilla sugar. Next, allow the stollen to completely cool. It is best to wrap the loaves tightly in tin foil and then put in an airtight plastic bag. My mom says the stollen tastes better as it ages.
7. Sift powdered sugar over the top to look like snow before you serve the stollen. Slice the stollen and serve with coffee or tea. A lot of Americans like to put butter on the stollen and eat it like toast for breakfast but traditionally stollen is eaten un-toasted without butter. One time I didn't put enough of the dried fruit and spice mixture in the dough and the stollen was more bread-like than normal.
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