Stollen buns
The marzipan and dried fruit in stollen are quintessential Christmas flavours, reworked here into a snowball-like bun by London's Fortitude Bakehouse
- Serves: 16 persons
Ingredients
- 250g sultanas
- 100g dried cranberries
- 1lemon , zested and juiced
- 1orange , zested and juiced
- 500g strong white flour , plus extra for dusting
- 3tsp mixed spice
- ½tsp ground cloves
- 7g fast-action dried yeast (1 sachet)
- 300g butter , softened, plus extra for the baking sheet
- 150ml milk
- 3eggs
- 500g marzipan
- icing sugar , for dusting
Instructions
Step 1
Tip the sultanas and cranberries into a bowl with the juices from the lemon and orange, then cover and leave for at least 2 hrs to soak.Step 2
To make the dough, tip the zests, flour, spices, yeast, 100g of the butter, all the milk, eggs and ¼ tsp of salt into the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment, and mix on a slow speed for 4 mins until combined into a smooth dough. Add the soaked fruit and mix for another 4 mins until everything comes together.Step 3
Remove the bowl from the mixer, cover and leave for 2 hrs to prove until doubled in size. Chop the marzipan into 16 even pieces.Step 4
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured worksurface and divide into 16 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, then flatten and put a piece of marzipan into the middle of the dough. Bring the dough up around the marzipan and roll back into a tight ball. Line the buns, well spaced, onto a buttered baking sheet, cover and prove for 1 hr until risen by about half their size again.Step 5
Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and bake for 15-20 mins or until risen and golden. Meanwhile, melt the remaining butter. When the buns are baked, brush generously with the melted butter and leave to cool slightly, then transfer to a cooling rack and dust generously with icing sugar. Best eaten within two days.