Recipe: Christmas Loaf

Basic ingredients

Dough:

4 1/3 cups flour
1 to 1 1/2 cups milk
2.5 ozs. yeast
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. margarine or butter
3/4 cup sugar or honey
1 tsp. salt

Flavoring:

1/2 cup candied lemon peel
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1 lemon, grated for rind
1/4 cup rum
1 3/4 cups raisins

Topping

1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 cup Confectioner's sugar

Preparation:

Make a soft, pliable yeast dough from ingredients listed in the first section and let stand in bowl for 10 minutes.
Knead the spices, except the raisins, into the dough. When all other ingredients are equally distributed, add the raisins. Roll into an oval and place on a greased baking sheet. Let rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Still on baking sheet, wrap dough well in aluminium foil and store in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight. Remove from refrigerator and take off foil. Sprinkle flour around the loaf to prevent the dough from spreading. Place loaf in a pre-heated 350-400° oven and bake 50-60 minutes, till pale gold in color. Remove from oven. Brush with melted butter and dust with Confectioner's sugar. Repeat until butter and sugar are used up. Stollen should have a thick, white layer.