Christmas without Stollen is for me like Christmas without the tree. You traditionally bake Stollen up to 6 weeks prior to Christmas as it will help intensify the flavours but gluten free Stollen dry out faster than it's gluten version. It will keep for about two weeks before getting too dry. This delicious sweet bread-like treat can be made with a soft Marzipan centre but it's originally done without.
This recipe will take 2 days as the fruit needs to soak in the rum for quite some time. It is worth the wait though.
What you need:
100g raisins
80g candied Orange peel (mixed peel works as well)
60g hazelnuts or almonds, lightly roasted and chopped
70ml rum (or half rum, half orange juice)
500g good quality GF flour (Edmonds works well)
2 tbsp. Cinnamon
100g soft brown sugar
200ml milk (can be substituted with lactose free or plant based milk)
15g instant dry yeast
200g butter or margarine
2 tsp. Xanthan gum
Optional: 250g Marzipan
To glaze after baking:
100g Butter or margarine (melted)
100g Icing Sugar
1) The day before baking: chop the candied peel and mix with the raisins and chopped nuts. Add the rum (or rum/juice mix) and let it stand, covered, until all fluid has been absorbed (at least 4 hours, best overnight).
2) Bake day: Heat the milk to luke-warm. In a large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together. Melt the butter/margarine in the milk and add the yeast. Let it stand until the yeast starts frothing. Now add the yeast-milk to the dry ingredients.
3) Kneed all ingredients into a dough, on a floured surface until you have a big ball of well mixed bread dough.
4) Flatten the dough and add the soaked fruit. Kneed the fruit into the dough and then shape the dough into a loaf shape. If you are adding Marzipan into the center, roll out the dough a little and put Marzipan into the middle in a long log. Fold the dough over it to cover the long roll of Marzipan.
5) Let the loaf rest in a warm place for at least 2 hours. It is a very heavy dough so it will not rise too much.
6) Preheat the oven to 180C (Upper/Lower heat). Put the Stollen into the oven and immediately turn down the temperature down to 170C. Bake the Stollen for 60 minutes.
7) Once out of the oven, brush the Stollen with the melted butter while still hot. Dust generously with Icing sugar and let it cool down.
8) Once cold, wrap first in Glad wrap before wrapping it in tinfoil. Enjoy!!!