Tea on Tuesday: Old-Fashioned Stollen

This has always been a favorite of mine at the holidays--along with my Irish grandmother's Christmas Cake! Stollen is actually a traditional German Christmas yeast bread. The fruit-filled loaf topped with a confectioners' sugar icing and candied cherries. Yum! Enjoy! :)

Ingredients:
* 2 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
* 1/2 teaspoon plus 1/2 cup sugar, divided
* 1/2 cup warm water (110° to 115°)
* 1 cup warm milk (110° to 115°)
* 3/4 cup butter, softened
* 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
* 2 eggs plus 2 egg yolks
* 6-1/4 to 6-3/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
* 1/2 cup raisins
* 1/2 cup diced citron or mixed candied fruit and peel
* 1/2 cup sliced candied cherries
* Melted butter
* ICING:
* 1 cup confectioners' sugar
* 5 to 6 teaspoons milk
* Blanched whole almonds and additional candied fruit

Directions:
* In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and 1/2 teaspoon sugar in warm water; let stand for 5 minutes. Add the milk, butter, salt, cardamom, eggs, egg yolks,remaining sugar and 2 cups flour; beat until smooth. Stir in the raisins, citron, cherries and enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.

* Turn out onto a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1-1/4 hours.

* Punch down; divided into thirds. Roll each piece on a floured surface into a 10-in. x 6-in. oval. Brush with melted butter. Fold one long side over to within 1 in. of the opposite side. Press edges to seal. Place on greased baking sheets. Brush with melted butter. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.

* Bake at 375° for 25 minutes or until lightly browned. For icing, combine confectioners' sugar and milk; spread over cooled bread. Decorate with almonds and fruit.

Yield: 3 breads.

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving (1 slice) equals 172 calories, 5 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 35 mg cholesterol, 156 mg sodium, 29 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 3 g protein.

~~yummy recipe and photo from: tasteofhome.com~~