Mini Stollen (Fruit Cake)

MAKES 1 TRAY

For the dough: 2 cups (250 g) flour, 1 tbsp milk, 1/3 cup (70 g) sugar, 1½ oz (42 g) dry yeast, 4½ oz (125 g) low-fat quark, 1 pinch salt, 1 egg, 1/3 cup + 2 tbsp (100 g) butter, ½ cup (75 g) raisins, 3½ oz (100 g) candied orange peel or 1¾ oz (50 g) candied orange peel and 1¾ oz (50 g) candied lemon peel, a little bit of lemon juice

For decorating: 1/3 cup + 2 tbsp (100 g) butter to brush on top of the dough, ½ cup + 1/3 cup (100 g) powdered sugar to sprinkle on top

In a bowl, combine flour, milk, ½ tsp sugar, and dry yeast together to form a dough, and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until cracks appear on the surface. Now knead well, along with quark, salt, egg, the remaining sugar, butter, raisins, candied orange, and/or lemon peel, and lemon juice into a firm, smooth dough. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until the volume has doubled.

Preheat the oven to 355°F (180°C), unless you have a convection oven, in which case preheat to 320°F (160°C), or a gas oven, in which case preheat to level 3. Knead the dough again, cut it in half, and roll out until it is 1 in. (2½ cm) thick, 4 in. (10 cm) wide, elongated rectangle. With the edge of your hand, make a depression in the middle. Slap the two long sides over one another, making the shape that of an elongated Stollen cookie. Cut into 2 in. (5 cm) long pieces and place them onto a lined baking tray. Let rise for another 15 minutes. Place in a preheated oven (middle rack) and bake 15-20 minutes, until golden brown. Meanwhile, melt the butter to be brushed on the dough. Remove the mini Stollen, immediately brush with the melted butter a few times, and pour powdered sugar over them until they are thickly coated.

You can also mix the powdered sugar with vanilla sugar and then coat the mini Stollen with that mixture instead.

 

It is a quote. Christmas Cookies Dozens of Classic Yuletide Treats for the Whole Family 2015