Morning Fruit Bread Printable

Stollen – a traditional German yeast bread – may be wrapped in cellophane with a pretty wire bow and presented as a thoughtful and festive Christmas gift. Fiori di Sicilia flavoring adds the delicate aroma of flowers, citrus and vanilla and can be ordered from www.kingarthurflour.com.

Fruit Mixture

    ¼ cup butter
    ½ cup raisins
    ½ cup glacé fruit mix
    ¼ cup water

Yeast Mixture

    1 cup fat-free milk
    ¼ cup dark brown sugar
    2 large eggs
    2 packages active dry yeast
    1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
    ½ teaspoon Fiori di Sicilia

Flour Mixture

    2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
    ½ teaspoon salt
    ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
    ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
    ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
    ¼ teaspoon powdered ginger
    ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Confectioners’ Icing

    2 cups confectioners’ sugar
    2 teaspoons dried egg whites
    ½ teaspoon lemon juice
    3 tablespoons fat-free milk
    2 tablespoons sliced almonds

1. Melt the butter in a 2-quart saucepan. Stir in the raisins, fruit
mixture and water and simmer for a minute. Remove from heat
and let this mixture sit for 10 minutes to allow the fruit to soften.

3. In an extra large bowl, sift the 2 ½ cups flour, salt, cloves,
   cardamom, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Stir in the yeast/fruit
   mixture to form a soft dough.

4. Flour a large breadboard and knead the dough for 2 minutes.
    Set the dough in an oiled bowl and turn once to coat with oil.
    Cover with a damp kitchen towel.

5. Turn the oven on to 200˚. When you can feel the heat on your
    hand, turn the oven off. Set the dough in the oven to rise for
    1 ½ hours.

6. Punch the dough down and divide in half. Roll each piece into
    a flattened oblong shape, which is about 12-inches long by
     6-inches wide.

7. Set each piece on a baking sheet and fold one third of the
    longest side of the dough up over itself. Let the loaves
    rise for 1 hour.

8. Bake in a 350˚ oven for 20 minutes. Once you have removed
    the bread, you can toast the almonds for 2–3 minutes.

9. Make a decorative icing by mixing the confectioner’s sugar,
    dried egg whites, lemon juice and milk. Spread over loaves
    and sprinkle with toasted almonds.

    To Serve: Slice bread and toast in a toaster. Serve with butter
    and a sprinkling of confectioners’ sugar.

     Makes 2 large loaves