Spiced stollen Plait (Trenza de Stollen con especias) Christmas recipes

About Christmas

Finally I made a recipe especially for Christmas times !!
I have others stollen recipes (because I love it) and you can find in my label : Christmas recipes

This stollen recipe from the traditional German sweet yeasted fruit bread which is delicious in Christmas, serve thickly sliced for breakfast brunch or with a cup of tea.

Source : BBC good food

Ingredients

140 g mixed dried fruit (I used raisins, dried cherries and others dried fruits)
4 tablespoons brandy or dark rum
225 ml milk
3 tablespoons clear honey
85 grams butter cut into cubes
500 grams strong plain flour plus extra for dusting
10 g. sachet fast action dried yeast
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg finely grated
1 tsp groun cinnamon
1 tasp mixed spice
1 large egg beaten, plus 1 to glaze
zest 1 lemon
zest 1 orange
oil for greasing
300 g marzipan handful flaked almonds
icing sugar for dusting

About marzipan you can buy in stores or make your own
(This year for first time I made my own marzipan if you want look in Delicious Magazine)

Method

1. Put the dried fruit in a bowl with the brandy or rum, cover with cling film and microwave in high for 1 minute.
Set aside to cool while you make the dough.

2. Pour the milk and honey into a pan and heat untilthey just come to the boil, then remove from the heat, add the butter and set aside to cool a little, swirling now and then to melt the butter.
Meanwhile mix the flour, yeast, spices and 1/2 tsp salt in a large bowl.

3. When the milk has cooled to body temperature, pour into the flour bowl. Add the egg and zest, and mix together with a spoon, then with your hands, until the mixture comes together as a dough. If it's a little sticky add a little extra flour.

4. Tip out onto your lightly floured work surface and knead for 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic.
Transfer to a clea, lightly greased bowl, cover with greased cling film and leave to prove for 2 hours or until doubled in size.
You can put the dough in the fridge for up to 2 days at this point, just bring back to room temperature before continuing.

5. When the dough has doubled in size, tip out onto the work surface and knock out the air bubbles. Knead in the soaked fruit.

6 Roll the dough into aq square, roughly 40 x 40 cm, then cut into 3 long strips.
Break the marzipan into 3 balls, the roll each to the same lenght as the strips of dough.
Put 1 marzipan sausage on top of each strip of dough, then pinch the sides of the dough together to encase the marzipan - so you have 3 long sausages of marzipan -filled dough. Flip the dough over so the seams are underneath, then pinch the 3 ends together.
Tightly plait the dough, pinching together to seal when you finish.
Place the plait on a baking tray lined with baking parchment, tucking the ends under for a neat finish.
Cover loselu with a sheet of cling film, leave to prove for 30 minutes.

7. Heat oven to 180°c.
Uncovcer the plait brush with the beaten egg and sprinkle over the almonds .
Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 30 minutes until golden brown and coolked thrugh.