My mother's stollen

My mother made stollen every Christmas of my childhood. She passed eight years ago. I bake it every Christmas now.

The recipe is in her handwriting on a piece of paper that's starting to fall apart. I've ruined it eleven times trying to get it right. Three things have stuck with me from the failures:

1. The marzipan core is not optional.
The first three years I left it out — too sweet, I thought, too much. I was wrong. The marzipan is what makes the loaf stollen and not just a heavy enriched bread. It melts in slightly during the bake and creates a moist core that the surrounding dough wraps around.

2. Soak the fruit, always.
Raisins, currants, candied orange peel — they need an overnight soak in dark rum (or strong tea, if you don't want alcohol). If you skip this they suck moisture from the dough during the bake and leave you with a dry, crumbly result.

3. Dust with powdered sugar twice.
Once an hour after the bake while it's still warm — the sugar melts in. Once again the morning you serve it. The double dust is what makes it look like the version on the cover of every German baking book.

It's a project bake. Plan a full Saturday.

— Sarah