Christmas Stollen with Raisins

Warm the milk until lukewarm.

Put the flour into a mixing bowl, press a well in the center and crumble in the yeast. Stir with some lukewarm milk and a little flour to make a starter.

Cover the starter and let it rise in a warm place for about 15 minutes.

Wash the currants and raisins and let them drain well. Coarsely chop the almonds.

Mix currants, raisins, almonds, candied orange and lemon peel, drizzle with rum and set aside covered.

Add 75 g sugar, vanilla sugar, salt and 200 g butter in pieces to the starter. Gradually add the remaining milk and knead everything into a smooth dough.

Cover the dough and let it rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes.

Briefly drain the raisin mixture and then knead it evenly into the dough.

On a floured work surface shape the dough into a log about 28 cm long.

Grease a loaf pan (approx. 28 cm), place the dough log inside and press lightly.

Cover the stollen in the pan and let it rise for about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 175 °C fan (or 200 °C conventional).

Bake the Christmas stollen for about 45 minutes.

Melt 50 g butter.

Brush the still-warm stollen with half of the melted butter, sprinkle with 25 g sugar and sift half of the powdered sugar over it. Then brush with the remaining butter and again sprinkle with sugar and powdered sugar.

Let the stollen cool completely on a wire rack.