Bavarian Walnut Stollen

Bavarian Walnut Stollen

Yield: 2 loaves

# of Servings: 20 slices

Method: Straight dough

Ingredients

Dough:

• 1 cup milk
• 4 tbl (2 oz / 57 g) unsalted butter, room temp, cut into 4-6 pieces.

• 1 packet (.25 oz / 7 g) active dry yeast
• ¼ cup warm water (approx. 104 °F)

• 1/3 cup (2.5 oz / 70 g) sugar
• 1 tsp (.2 oz / 6 g) salt
• 1 ½ tbl milk

• 3 ¼ cup (16 oz / 454 g) bread flour
• 1 egg yolk (save white for the filling)
• ½ cup + 2 tbl (3 oz / 85 g) bread flour

Filling:

2 ½ cups (10.75 oz / 305 g) finely chopped walnuts¹

¾ tsp cinnamon (.1 oz / 2 g)

â…” cup (4.75 oz / 135 g) sugar

â…“ cup water

1 egg white

Pinch of salt

Icing:

1 ¾ cups (7.5 oz / 213 g) confectioners’ sugar

1 ½ to 2 tbl hot water

Tools and equipment needed:

• Stand mixer with dough hook, or large mixing bowl.
• Small mixing bowl.
• Small saucepan
• Baking sheet (12†by 18†preferred), parchment paper or silpat.
• Dry and liquid measuring cups, tablespoon set, heavy stirring spoon, instant-read thermometer, bowl scraper, plastic spatula.

Directions: Day 1

1. In small saucepan, heat milk and butter until warm (approx. 104 °F). Whisk lightly to facilitate the butter melting and set aside. If milk got too hot, let it cool before adding to dough in step 4.
2. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in water and set aside in warm place.
3. In small mixing bowl, add the sugar and salt. Add the milk and stir with plastic spatula to make a thick paste.
4. In machine bowl, or large mixing bowl, add the larger amount of bread flour. Make a well in the flour and add the egg yolk, milk/sugar/salt mixture, and the warm (approx. 90 °F) milk/melted butter mixture. Stir briefly with heavy mixing spoon.
5. Add the yeast solution and mix to combine. Let sit for 2 minutes.
6. Mixing and kneading using mixer:
   1. Place bowl on mixer with dough hook.
   2. On low speed, start mixing, adding as much of the remaining flour as necessary to make a soft, not sticky dough.
   3. Continue to let the machine knead the dough for 3 minutes.
   4. Scrape dough onto flour-dusted counter and knead by hand for another minute or two, until a smooth dough.
   5. Proceed to step 8.
7. Mixing and kneading by hand:
   1. Using heavy mixing spoon, mix as much of the remaining flour as necessary to make a soft, not sticky dough.
   2. Scrape dough onto flour-dusted counter and knead by hand for approximately 5 minutes, or until a smooth dough.
   3. Proceed to next step.
8. Place dough back in bowl, cover with a kitchen towel and let rise in warm spot in kitchen until doubled in volume, approximately 2 hours.
9. Punch dough down, and form into a rough rectangle. Place in a rectangular container that has enough room for the dough to rise. Lightly spray a piece of plastic film with cooking spray and place the oiled side against the dough. Place in refrigerator.
10. After approximately 3 hours, remove dough from refrigerator and push dough down. Return to refrigerator overnight.

Day 2

Make the walnut filling:

1.  In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the walnuts and the cinnamon. Set aside.
2. In small saucepan, stir together the sugar and the water.
3. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, using a pastry brush dipped in water to wash down any sugar crystals on the sides of the pan. Don’t stir the syrup once it starts boiling.
4. Boil the syrup for 5 minutes (225 °F).
5. Pour the syrup over the walnuts and stir to combine. Set aside until lukewarm.
6. In medium mixing bowl, beat the egg white until frothy with a pinch of salt.
7. Stir the beaten egg white into the walnuts. The walnut mixture should be slightly firm and spreadable. If too stiff, a few drops of heavy cream may be added. Set aside.

Form the loaves:

8. Remove dough from container to a flour-dusted counter. Push dough down if it has risen slightly, keeping the rectangular or square shape.
9. Using a scale if available, divide the dough into two equal halves. Each should weigh approximately 1 lb. Set one piece aside.
10. Roll the first piece into a rectangle 10†by 8â€.
11. Brush the outer ½â€ of the rectangle lightly with a damp pastry brush.
12. Spread ½ of the walnut filling (8 oz) evenly over the dough just up to the ½â€ border.
13. Starting with the long side, roll into a tight jelly roll, lightly pinching the ends and bottom seam.
14. Put the roll, seam side down, on a cutting board and with a sharp knife, cut it straight down the middle, lengthwise.
15. Working from the middle, braid the two halves together. Pinch the ends.
16. Place on a parchment, or silpat, lined baking sheet. On 12†by 18†sheet, the first stollen should be placed across the width, allowing room for the 2^nd stollen.
17. Repeat steps 20 through 26 with the 2^nd stollen.
18. Cover the loaves with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place until almost doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes to an hour

Baking the loaves:

• Preheat the oven to 375 °F.

19. Bake at 375 °F for 12 minutes.
20. Lower the temperature to 350 °F and bake for an additional 16 to 18 minutes, for a total baking time of between 28 and 30 minutes.
21. The Stollen will be golden brown, feel “set,†and register 203 °F on an instant read thermometer when done.
22. Leave the stollens on sheet pan to cool for 20 minutes, then use a spatula to move them to a cooling rack. Let cool for an additional 45 minutes.
23. To make the icing, place confectioners’ sugar in a mixing bowl and whisk in enough hot water to make a smooth icing. Drizzle icing over the Stollens in a zig-zag pattern using a spoon or a small plastic pastry bag. Let the icing set and harden.

Baking Notes:

1. Make sure your walnuts are fresh and the proper size. Trader Joe’s and Amazon carry small walnut pieces.