I was just reading about the Stollenfest in Dresden, which was yesterday, apparently. *Sigh*
I am absolutely crazy about Stollen. I love all the sweet Christmas breads of Italy, especially Pan D'Oro, but nothing, nothing comes close in my mind, heart and mouth to authentic Stollen, which is really more like cake. I wander bakeries in New York looking for it. So far, one of my favorites is found at the Union Square Greenmarket, where an upstate baker sells it from a stand on Saturdays during the holiday season. Shamefully, I can eat half of an entire stollen in a frighteningly short period of time.
I have never found a recipe that I can truly embrace, though my sister-in-law's German mother makes truly delicious stollen every year for Christmas. Sadly, she keeps her recipe a well-guarded secret, and, moreover, she lives about 800 miles away.
Is anyone else in love with Stollen? Any tried-and-true recipes?
Stollen is not available here in Spain And we haven't eaten any for 3 years!!!!
However, When we lived in the Dordogne close to Bergerac in France we had some friends from Holland.
Each December before Christmas one of them would drive to a small village in Friesland, Holland in order to buy Stollen that they had previously ordered. People in the village of St foy de longas (where we lived in France) all placed an order... She brought back 47 stollen on the last trip....Thats good business for a small bakery in friesland!!!And testifies to the amazing addictive quality od stollen...
I make Stollen every Christmas - made one batch last night, in fact. I use my German aunt's recipe and will be glad to give it to you. Years ago (more than I care to remember) she presented me with a cookbook translated into English and published by Dr. Oetker, a German company known for baking ingredients and utensils and the Stollen recipe was included. The recipe calls for packets of Dr. Oetker vanillin and backin, and I have seen both in American grocery and specialty stores like World Market -the vanillin more than the backin, which is just baking powder. The vanillin is vanilla infused sugar. I live in rural Alabama and can find both easily, if that helps. You will need a scale to measure the ingredients because recipe is in grams and ounces.
Over the years I have purchased Stollen from groceries and bakeries and have never tasted one to compare to my aunt's version. And I have once or twice tried much more complicated recipes involving yeast and multiple risings and still prefer hers.
Let me know if you would like to try this recipe and I will send to you. You can private message me a mailing address and I will send recipe and a packet of vanillin.
Glad to know I am not the only one that can eat half a Stollen in one sitting!
"I am a Southerner. I like the feel of these words. I could no more be otherwise than I could shed my outer skin or change the color of my eyes." Willie Morris
Posts: 1468 | Location: on the Alabama River | Registered: 22 July 2002
Could you post your stollen recipe in this thread? I would love to try it -- a close friend used to have one sent to her from Dresden relatives, and it was SO good. Would love to try making it.
Thanks.
Posts: 2063 | Location: Berkeley, CA | Registered: 22 March 2005
I am making Stollen again tonight and have the cookbook out, so I will be glad to post the recipe. Here it is:
Stollen
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
1 1/8 lb. (500 g) all-purpose flour 1 packet Oetker Backin (1/2 ounce baking powder) 7 oz. (200 g) sugar 1 packet Oetker Vanillin Sugar pinch of salt 4 drops almond extract 4 drops lemon extract 1/2 ounce rum extract good pinch cardamom good pinch mace 2 eggs 4 1/2 oz. (125 g) butter, cut into small pieces 1 3/4 oz. Crisco shortening (50 g) (see notes below) 9 oz. (250 g) ricotta, briefly whipped in processor 4 1/2 oz (125 g) currants 4 1/2 - 9 oz. (125-250 g) golden raisins 4 1/2 - 9 oz. (125-250 g) sliced almonds, chopped coarse 3 1/2 oz. (100 g) candied lemon peel, diced
Softened butter and confectioner's sugar for dusting
Sieve together the flour and the Backin into bowl of mixer. Add the sugar, Vanillin, flavorings, spices and eggs. Mix briefly to form a thickish paste. Add butter, Crisco,(almond paste, if using), ricotta, currants, golden raisins, almonds and lemon peel. Mix well, dough will be stiff. Turn dough onto floured board and mix with hands until dough is no longer sticky. Don't handle too much and careful not to add too much flour.
Separate the dough into two equal pieces. Form each half into long oval shape, then fold over lengthways to within 1/2 inch of the side, press dough together gently and then form into traditional crescent shape. Place on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
Bake in 350 degree oven for 45-50 minutes.
As soon as the Stollen is removed from the oven, spread lightly with softened butter and dust with confectioner's sugar.
Notes
I usually start by weighing all ingredients and having them at the ready.
Although the recipe calls for cold butter, I think it incorporates better if it has been on the counter for about 30 min. I let it sit while I do the weighing of the other ingredients.
Over the years, my aunt has revealed some of her secret touches, such as the addition of almond paste. If you want to add almond paste, substitute some for the Crisco. For example, I use about 10 g almond paste and 40 g Crisco. My aunt doesn't like candied fruit so she leaves it out. I like it but make sure it is chopped fine so it doesn't get hard during baking. I use a pretty liberal hand when measuring the drops of flavorings. And my pinches of cardamom and mace are BIG pinches - I really like to taste the spices.
Start watching the Stollen after 40 minutes. The bread should be golden. The original recipe does not give a baking temperature. 350 degrees and approx.48 minutes seems to work out perfect but your oven might be a bit different.
Stollen freezes well and I think it is even better a day or two after baking, should there be any left.
Hope you like it.
"I am a Southerner. I like the feel of these words. I could no more be otherwise than I could shed my outer skin or change the color of my eyes." Willie Morris
Posts: 1468 | Location: on the Alabama River | Registered: 22 July 2002
Bags, I see vanillin here in New York too, thank you so much for posting your recipe!!
Let's all make stollen and have a contest on who can eat it the fastest. Hint: I will win, because I am single and with only my cats staring at me, I have no shame.
You are very welcome, Stella. I just caught an error in my original post - left out the Crisco - but it is OK now.
"I am a Southerner. I like the feel of these words. I could no more be otherwise than I could shed my outer skin or change the color of my eyes." Willie Morris
Posts: 1468 | Location: on the Alabama River | Registered: 22 July 2002
My grandmother, one my mother's side, was from Goeppingen, Germany and she ALWAYS had stollen during the holidays. As she has been gone a number of years, I miss that treat at the house and have had MANY opportunities to get it but am trying to save my waistline (which eating pasta is not helping) so I avoid it.
Thanks for sharing this thread and the recipe... it reminds me of Nana who I miss greatly!!
I have her recipes but this was one she didn't make... Now I have a recipe!!
Thanks, Doug
Doug
ANCORA IMPARO
Posts: 2128 | Location: Winter Park, FL | Registered: 18 May 2005
My mother in law, who lives in Mainz but was born and raised in Leipzig, will be bringing us our annual stollen when she comes to Acqui for Christmas. I will tell her to bring the recipe so I can convert it and post it. It is the Sachsen type, made with a butter and powdered sugar coating, in comparision to the Northern German variety, which contains Marzipan. The Niederecker Konditerei in Luebeck puts out one of the best commercial Marzipan stollen in Germany..
I actually gave our gardening crew stollen last year for their coffee break instead of the typical Italian christmas breads. They all liked it better, much better in fact.
Please let me know when you post it as that is the kind my nana used to have. She was never crazy about marzipan. I must admit, I do miss some of her dishes, especially her kuchen!!!
Doug
Doug
ANCORA IMPARO
Posts: 2128 | Location: Winter Park, FL | Registered: 18 May 2005
Doug, I will be happy to get that for you when I get back to Italia and she comes to Acqui. Muti's stollen is awesome and it keeps a good long time. She is 85 and keeps doing it every year.
Doug and Stella, my friends, what is it you mean with kuchen? Kuchen in German simply means cake, but does not refer to a specific type. Is there a specific type of cake which is referred to when AMericans say the word Kuchen? This is so interesting to me!!
FYI.. people in europe use Vanillin ( chemical) because real vanilla is too expensive and there is no vanilla extract here. Feel free to flavor with REAL vanilla for a REAL treat!
My Nana's Kuchen was more like a torte. As she was from Goeppingen (schwabesh..not sure on spelling) she used a dough called mierbedach. It is eggs, flour and sugar almost like a spritz cookie dough. She would spread it out in a cookie sheet with edges and leave a nice crust rimming the edge. From there, she would either slice peaches, plums(italian prunes) or apples. Obviously, this was seasonal. From there she would sprinkle a litte sugar and bake it. When it was almost done, she would make a mix of sour cream and sugar and top it with it along with some sugar & cinnammon. It was delicious but the best part was the crust!! Everyone savored the corners of the kuchen because you got double crust!
My father, who worked nights, on weekends would automatically get up and head off to the kitchen for a snack. My Nana had just dropped off a peach cake that afternoon and it went into the fridge to stay cool. My dad pulled it out to have a piece and took the wax paper off of it to find a whole cake with four corners missing as my sister and I had gotten to it first!!
I will find Nana's recipe for the mierbedach and get it to you if you want it. What I find wonderful is I do have all her recipes, in her handwriting, on legal paper. She was a German farm girl and did not make fancy but boy was it good!!
Doug
Doug
ANCORA IMPARO
Posts: 2128 | Location: Winter Park, FL | Registered: 18 May 2005
There are two kinds of bases for a blechkuchen: (blech is like a tin pan, flat and square mostly)
One type is hefeteich which means yeast dough. This would be pounded and raised before the fruit and streusel is laid on it.
The other type is muerbeteich (probable meibedach in your oma's dialect!!!). This is your base of butter and flour with eggs and a bit of sugar, sort of like a pie dough, which gets pushed out into the blech and coated with fruit and sugar and possibly streusel.
These are two schools of thought on blechkuchen in Germany. Either you love one or the other. My husband is a hefe guy and i am a muerbe girl!! Both cakes are scrumptious. The best on is Pflaumkuchen, which is the teich (dough) with zwetchen (purple oval plums) sliced in eights and neatly laid in rows and baked. Purists do not need streusel on this one. A little fresh whipped cream without sugar is the only approved topping from the Pflaumkuchen school.
Sounds like you had some might good food growing up, Doug!!
PS DIva reminded me to pick up a large bottle of vanilla extract before heading back over to Germany. Thanks....
One type is hefeteich which means yeast dough. This would be pounded and raised before the fruit and streusel is laid on it.
Di
The yeasty one is the what my mother used to make, with peaches in the summer. She is not even remotely German, but a neighbor had introduced her to kuchen years and years before...I love it!!
The other type is muerbeteich (probable meibedach in your oma's dialect!!!).
Diana,
You hit the nail on the head... that's it and I probably didn't spell it right. You are also correct in that she never put the sour cream mix on the plums. It wasn't my favorite as it was way too sweet. My mom makes them on occassion but I sure do miss those things (of course my bulging middle would disagree!!).
FYI... I made the tiramisu for last night's dolce using AlterEgo's recipe and your suggestion of the coffee in the cream. Wow, did that come out good. I even got a round of applause from the 6 neighbors!!
My oma also used to make a traditional German bread with raisins, sort of like a panettone. I don't know how to spell it but I will write its pronounciation phonetically... google-uffen.
I also make her cream cheese cookies for Christmas... cream cheese & flour (no sugar)for the dough and cut in circles with a glass. A dollop of raspberry jam in the center and folded over and dipped in sugar/cinammon before baking.
The other traditional item she made was a herring salad for New Year's. It was red because of the beets but it sure was good.
You made me think about some great memories... thanks!!!!
BTW... if you guys want vanilla, let us know as we can always bring it over when we come. Costco or Sam's Club has large bottles of PURE vanilla extract.
Doug & Judith
Doug
ANCORA IMPARO
Posts: 2128 | Location: Winter Park, FL | Registered: 18 May 2005
I'm not sure I'm doing this right - but I'm trying to reply to your message which follows. My parents were born in Germany, and German is my first language. I also make stollen every year, but I've never heard of a stollen recipe that isn't made with yeast. The yeast is what produces the wonderful flavor in stollen. Are you certain that you didn't accidentally omit this required ingredient? I'd be curious to try your recipe because it sounds delicious - but it isn't true Stollen without yeast. Please let me know. Oma (German for Grandmother)
quote:
Originally posted by Bags packed: I am making Stollen again tonight and have the cookbook out, so I will be glad to post the recipe. Here it is:
Stollen
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
1 1/8 lb. (500 g) all-purpose flour 1 packet Oetker Backin (1/2 ounce baking powder) 7 oz. (200 g) sugar 1 packet Oetker Vanillin Sugar pinch of salt 4 drops almond extract 4 drops lemon extract 1/2 ounce rum extract good pinch cardamom good pinch mace 2 eggs 4 1/2 oz. (125 g) butter, cut into small pieces 1 3/4 oz. Crisco shortening (50 g) (see notes below) 9 oz. (250 g) ricotta, briefly whipped in processor 4 1/2 oz (125 g) currants 4 1/2 - 9 oz. (125-250 g) golden raisins 4 1/2 - 9 oz. (125-250 g) sliced almonds, chopped coarse 3 1/2 oz. (100 g) candied lemon peel, diced
Softened butter and confectioner's sugar for dusting
Sieve together the flour and the Backin into bowl of mixer. Add the sugar, Vanillin, flavorings, spices and eggs. Mix briefly to form a thickish paste. Add butter, Crisco,(almond paste, if using), ricotta, currants, golden raisins, almonds and lemon peel. Mix well, dough will be stiff. Turn dough onto floured board and mix with hands until dough is no longer sticky. Don't handle too much and careful not to add too much flour.
Separate the dough into two equal pieces. Form each half into long oval shape, then fold over lengthways to within 1/2 inch of the side, press dough together gently and then form into traditional crescent shape. Place on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
Bake in 350 degree oven for 45-50 minutes.
As soon as the Stollen is removed from the oven, spread lightly with softened butter and dust with confectioner's sugar.
Notes
I usually start by weighing all ingredients and having them at the ready.
Although the recipe calls for cold butter, I think it incorporates better if it has been on the counter for about 30 min. I let it sit while I do the weighing of the other ingredients.
Over the years, my aunt has revealed some of her secret touches, such as the addition of almond paste. If you want to add almond paste, substitute some for the Crisco. For example, I use about 10 g almond paste and 40 g Crisco. My aunt doesn't like candied fruit so she leaves it out. I like it but make sure it is chopped fine so it doesn't get hard during baking. I use a pretty liberal hand when measuring the drops of flavorings. And my pinches of cardamom and mace are BIG pinches - I really like to taste the spices.
Start watching the Stollen after 40 minutes. The bread should be golden. The original recipe does not give a baking temperature. 350 degrees and approx.48 minutes seems to work out perfect but your oven might be a bit different.
Stollen freezes well and I think it is even better a day or two after baking, should there be any left.
Topic Closed
And we haven't eaten any for 3 years!!!!
