Christollen (fruit loaf) *
The best known variety of this cake is Dresdener Stollen
Ingredients:
1 kg flour
120 g yeast
450 g butter
300 g sugar
300 g sweet almonds
24 bitter almonds
250 g sultanas
250 g currants
125 g candied lemon peel
125 g candied orange peel
6 tablespoons of rum
1 teaspoon of salt
rinds of 2 lemons
1/4 l. of lukewarm milk
Also:
butter and icing sugar for brushing over at the end
Preparation:
The yeast mixture:
Sprinkle yeast with a little sugar and some of the flour in some lukewarm milk. Let this stand for 1/4 hour. In the meantime, or even the day before, chop the candied lemon and orange peel and both types of almonds into small pieces. Wash the sultanas and currants and drain. Soak all these ingredients in the rum.
Then, mix the rest of the flour, sugar, butter and salt together and finally add the yeast and the rest of the milk. Knead the mixture into a dough. Allow to rise for 1 hour. Add the rum-soaked ingredients and the grated rinds of the lemons. Allow to rise again. Form an oval loaf (approximately 50 cm long) by folding the dough inwards along the axis. Bake in a preheated oven at 200° C for the first 15 minutes, then at a lower temperature (approximately 170°C), in order to avoid burning the sultanas and currants, for about an hour. Test with a knitting needle or skewer when done. While still warm put butter on to avoid the cake drying out and then dust with icing sugar.
Stollen should rest for about 3 weeks before being eaten.
* Recipe came from the grandmother of Volker Rossteutscher, a university colleague of Grete Schiefenhövel, now in her collection
