Christmas Stollen

Christmas is coming so fast! I've done so many things to try to get in the Christmas spirit but honestly I'm feeling a bit Scroogesqe this year. It just doesn't feel like Christmas to me. It might have something to do with the fact that this is the first year we haven't put a tree up. Or this is the first year that we haven't been invited to even 1 Christmas party, not even a work one. I just plain feel lonely. I love to bake holiday treats to share with others this time of year so I decided that I would still do that even though I would really have to hunt for people to share them with.

I was blessed with a lovely recipe book when I got married filled with handwritten recipes from family and friends. One of the recipes is for Christmas Stollen. My husband's family fixes this special bread every year and eats it Christmas morning. I love to make it for my side of the family and give it out to friends. I never quite follow the recipe exactly, I like to experiment. This year the bread came out flatter than usual, even though it had risen quite well before putting it in. That would have been something I expected to happen in Colorado but not Nebraska. I think I'm going to have to make another batch before we take a road trip to Virginia.

Do you have any traditional baked goods that you fix every year for Christmas? There are many things that make this bread delicious. One thing that doesn't hurt is the drunken fruit that runs throughout and of course the repeated brushing of melted butter and the dusting of powdered sugar.

Here's the original recipe:

I don't always use candied fruit. This year I bought two packages of mixed dried fruit and put it in the blender to chop it up.

At this stage I add almond extract along with the vanilla and I also add a teaspoon of cinnamon. 

Thankfully I have a KitchenAid  and it can do all the kneading for me. 

When I roll out the dough I like to add a rope of marzipan down the middle. That's a tasty addition for sure and I always miss it when it's not added.

This bread is great toasted with a little butter! We just slice it up, put it on a pan and broil it for a few minutes.