Nothing says Christmas like stollen with marzipan. It’s a cinch to make, although it does take some time – think of it as a weekend project with the kids
Prep:1 hr and 25 mins
Cuts into 10 slices
100g mixed dried fruit with peel180ml apple juice7g dried yeast250g plain flour, plus a little extra for dusting30g blanched whole almondsgenerous pinch of ground cinnamongenerous pinch of ground aniseed or allspicesmall pinch of ground cloves75g cold marzipan, cut into small pieces10g butter, melted1 tbsp icing sugar
STEP 1Soak the dried fruit in 100ml of hot water. Gently warm the apple juice for a few mins in a pan, then add the yeast and leave to activate for 10-15 mins (it will start to bubble).STEP 2Put the flour in a bowl. Stir in the yeast and apple juice mixture to form a smooth dough, then cover and leave to prove somewhere warm until roughly doubled in size, about 1-2 hrs. You can also put the dough in the fridge to rise slowly overnight.STEP 3Drain the fruit and add to the dough along with the nuts, spices and marzipan. Squish everything together, then turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until the fruit stays in the dough.STEP 4Shape the dough into a sausage shape and put it on a baking tray lined with baking parchment. Cover with a clean tea towel and leave to prove somewhere warm for 30 mins–1 hr until it has risen by about a quarter.STEP 5Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Bake the stollen for 20 mins, then reduce oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2 and bake for 25-30 mins more until golden brown and firm to the touch.STEP 6Remove the stollen from the oven and brush all over with the melted butter. Dust with the icing sugar and leave to cool completely before slicing. Store any remaining stollen, well wrapped, in an airtight container.
