I feel like a squirrel these days. Busy baking to stock up the freezer for the cold and dark nights. Here is another example of me squirreling away on a Sunday afternoon.
I discovered Stollen quite late. Of course, I've seen it on the supermarket shelf all these years close to Christmas time but all the icing sugar thick as snow somehow had dampened my desire to try. The only way to get away from thick icing sugar layer is to make your own and so I did, about 2 years ago. And it was fantastic, sweet, aromatic, somewhere between bread and cake, full of ingredients I love. Since then, I've not stopped making.
Here is my attempt to convert my trusted Stollen recipe to a gluten free one. After baking with gluten free flour for 6 months, one thing I've figured out is that gluten free flour needs a bit more moisture than conventional wheat flour. And for yeasted bread, it helps to have an extra lift. So that's what I did, up the liquid and adding an egg and some baking powder.
Tasting note: this version of stollen came out drier than the wheat version. Yeast dough does not do well with a simple flour swap, even though I added extra moisture. It's not overbaked and it's not crumbly. Perhaps it's due to the gluten free flour which does not have gluten to hold the moisture. Perhaps I should try some glycerin next time which seems to improve gluten free baked goods (Phil Vickery's tip). And it also turned out there is such thing as too much marzipan. I will reduce the amount next time. A hit of marzi here and there is nicer than all over.
Gluten Free Stollen
200 g dried fruits (I used sultanas, sour cherries and cranberries)100 ml rum (or a liqueur of choice)
500 g gluten-free flour (your favorite blend)
1 tsp xanthan gum (if your blend does not include)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
75~100 g sugar (granulated or icing), to taste
165 g ground almond
130 g candied citrus peels, finely diced
Zest from one lemon and one orange
2 tsp fast-action yeast
1 cup blood-warm milk + 1/4 cup as top up
1 beaten egg
125 g butter, softened
300 g marzipan/almond paste (optional)
The night before making the Stollen, soak the dried fruits in liqueur of your choice. For non-alcohol options, earl grey tea, orange juice or even just water would work too.
Combine flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, salt, sugar, ground almond, diced peels and citrus zests. Stir to combine. Scatter the yeast on top and pour in 1 cup of the blood warm milk. Stir to incorporate the liquid in. Assess the state of hydration and add more liquid in as needed. Finally mix in the beaten egg. The dough is relatively solid but should come together in one piece. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes in a warm place (25-30 C would do).
After 30 minutes, mix the softened butter into the dough. A rubber spatula works well or a rubber gloved hand. When the butter is fully incorporated, cover the dough and let it rest for another 30 minutes. This dough will not rise to twice of its original volume. You know it's ready when the dough looks livened, lightly aerated and feels spongy. At this stage, add in well drained dried fruits and incorporate thoroughly.
Preheat the oven at 180C.
The final dough is ready for shaping. Portion out the dough for two large stollens or three medium ones. Roll out each piece into an oval shape and fold it back to 2/3 of itself lengthwise. You can insert some marzipan in the middle before folding. The choice is yours.
Place the shaped Stollens on a baking pan. Bake at 180C for 30 minutes or until it passes the toothpick test.
Remove the baked Stollens from the oven and cool to body temperature. Brush the top of each Stollen liberally with melted butter and dust with vanilla sugar if using, followed by icing sugar.
When the Stollens are fully cooled, wrap tightly in baking paper followed by tin foil. Keep in a fridge or a cold/dark place at least for a couple of days before eating. The flavor reaches to its peak when it's a week old. Like with many things in life, good ones are worth waiting for.
It's never too early to think about Christmas.
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