Top of our travel wish list today is festive markets. We’d like our cockles warmed by mulled wine and eyes dazzled by Christmas lights, preferably in a Belgian market square or along the canalsides of Amsterdam. In the meantime, we’re baking up a storm again with Viking’s Stollen recipe, studded with candied fruit and nuts. Serve it warm from the oven with butter and jam, then dish up the rest for breakfast the next day toasted with honey. Delicious!

Ingredients:

  • 6g active dry yeast
  • 150ml milk, warm
  • 1 egg
  • 72g fine granulated sugar
  • 7g salt
  • 76g unsalted butter, softened
  • 300g bread flour, plus flour for dusting
  • 50g currants
  • 50g raisins
  • 50g red glacé cherries, quartered
  • 170g mixed candied citrus peel, diced
  • 230g marzipan

Garnish:

  • 8g confectioners’ sugar
  • 1.5g ground cinnamon
  • 25g sliced almonds, toasted

Directions

Sprinkle yeast over milk and let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and add egg, sugar, salt, butter and 222g of flour, stirring well to combine. Add remaining flour a little at a time, stirring well after each addition. When dough begins to pull together, turn out onto a flour-dusted surface and knead in currants, raisins, cherries and citrus peel. Continue kneading until smooth, about 8 minutes. Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turning coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

Lightly grease a baking tray. Punch down dough; turn onto a flour-dusted surface. Roll marzipan into a rope and place in center of dough; fold over to cover; pinch to seal. Place loaf seam side down on baking tray, cover with clean, damp kitchen towel and let rise to double in volume, about 40 minutes.

Preheat oven to 180°C. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 150°C and bake another 30–40 minutes until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack, then dust with confectioners’ sugar and sprinkle with cinnamon and almond flakes.

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