Stollen recipe
Description
Unlike yeast stollen, cottage cheese stollen has a moister, softer texture, more like a cake. It does not need proofing time and is quicker to make. This recipe suits busy hosts who want a festive mood and a worthy spread for guests. Serve warm or chilled. Perfect with tea.
Instructions
- 1
Step 1
Prepare all the ingredients on the list for making stollen. This amount is enough to bake one medium-sized stollen. For the filling, use nuts and your favorite dried fruits. In my recipe I use figs, raisins, dried apricots, and almonds. Prepare the dried fruits in advance by soaking them in a mixture of cognac and orange juice. You can omit the alcohol if the baked goods are intended for children.
- 2
Step 2
Before you begin cooking, take the butter, cottage cheese, and egg out of the refrigerator ahead of time so they can come to room temperature. In a bowl, combine the sugar with softened butter and beat the mixture until light and fluffy.
- 3
Step 3
While continuing to beat, add the raw egg and the juice with zest from one lime or lemon.
- 4
Step 4
Transfer the cottage cheese to the butter mixture. Use cottage cheese with 9% fat or higher fat content. If your cottage cheese is grainy, rub it through a sieve first.
- 5
Step 5
Mix the cottage cheese into the butter mixture. Add sifted flour, salt, baking powder, and knead the dough. Use a mixer or work quickly by hand so the warmth of your hands does not make the butter melt.
- 6
Step 6
Gather the prepared dough into a ball, transfer it onto parchment paper, and gently flatten the ball into a disk. Pat the dried fruit dry on a paper towel to remove excess moisture. Add the dried fruit and nuts to the dough and incorporate them by folding the dough envelope-style.
- 7
Step 7
On the same parchment, shape the dough piece into an oval. Lift one edge of the dough and fold it over to cover two-thirds of the oval flatbread, leaving one-third uncovered. Transfer the stollen to a baking sheet on the parchment. Bake in an oven preheated to 170°C for 1 hour.
- 8
Step 8
Check the doneness of the baked goods with a wooden toothpick. While the stollen is still hot, brush it with melted butter and apply a thick layer of powdered sugar.
- 9
Step 9
Curd cheese stollen can be served as soon as it has cooled, or you can let it rest for a day (no longer).