High Country Baking: Stollen recipe for this busy season

By Vera Dawson The “I-Don’t-Have-Time-to-Make-Stollen Stollen” is what this recipe is sometimes called. Why? Because it uses baking powder instead of yeast to make this popular Christmas bread. So instead of taking several hours to get it in the oven, it’s in there after about 25 minutes of preparation time; a great boon for those of us who bake during this busy time of year. The results are lovely, too. The dough is moist and tender and the dried fruit and toasted almonds contribute delicious flavor.
Use any dried berries or fruit you like, just make sure they’re moist and pliable (I selected dried cherries, blueberries and golden raisins for the ones in the photo). If you’re an almond fan, add a quarter teaspoon of almond extract to the dough and about a quarter cup of almond paste, formed into a flattened rope, placed in the fold of the stollen before sealing and baking it.

1. All the dried fruit should be in quarter-inch pieces or smaller, so, if needed, chop them to the required size using a greased pair of kitchen scissors. Place all the fruit in a wide shallow bowl, add the rum and toss until all are wet; add more rum or water if needed. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and zap at high temperature in a microwave for about 20 seconds, until the fruit is very soft and moist. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees with a rack in the center position.

2. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and whisk to combine well. Cut the butter into small pieces, add them, and use a pastry blender or your fingers to blend them into the dry ingredients until small, moist clumps form. Drain the fruit and add it, with the slivered almonds, tossing to distribute them evenly in the flour mixture. Place the ricotta, egg, vanilla and lemon oil in another large mixing bowl and whisk until fully combined and smooth. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, about a quarter of it at a time, stirring until blended after each addition. It will get hard to mix towards the end but keep going (use your hands if it’s easier) until all the dry ingredients are moistened and a stiff, sticky dough starts to take shape. Turn the dough out onto a silicone mat or a lightly floured surface and knead gently until the dough comes together. Flour or wet your hands if the dough sticks to them.

3. Divide the dough in half and pat each half into a slightly-flattened ball. Roll each one between two floured sheets of waxed paper into an 8 by 7 inch oval, about a half-inch thick. Remove the top sheet of waxed paper and use the bottom one to help you lift one of the long sides and fold it over onto the other side so it’s about a half-inch short of the bottom edge. To make the traditional stollen shape, seal the …read more

Via:: Vail Daily