Christmas stollen recipe

Christmas stollen is one of those bakes that sums up the festive period so beautifully. Rich with dried fruits and liqueur it's always popular with family and friends. Our easy Christmas stollen recipe serves 12 so is perfect for parties, and if you're feeling generous it makes a lovely gift, too. Simply wrap up in brown paper and tie a little tag onto it for the lucky recipient. You'll need an afternoon to put it together, as this recipe takes two hours in total, but it's so worth it - trust us, you'll be making it again and again.

Ingredients

• 325g (11oz) strong white bread flour
• 7g sachet easy-blend yeast
• 45g (1½oz) golden caster sugar
• 1 medium egg, lightly beaten
• 45g (1½oz) butter, melted
• 100ml (3½fl oz) warm milk
• 250g (8oz) soft dried apricots, chopped
• 4 tbsp orange liqueur
• 100g (3½oz) pistachios
• 60g (2oz) dried cranberries
• 100g (3½oz) white chocolate, chopped
• 2 tsp icing sugar, to dust

Method

1. Put the flour, yeast and sugar into a bowl. Add the egg, melted butter and milk. Knead together on a lightly floured surface by hand for 10 mins or with a dough hook in an electric mixer for 5 mins, until smooth and elastic. Put into a greased bowl, cover with cling film and leave in a warm place for about 1 hour until doubled in size.
2. Put apricots into a pan with the orange liqueur. Warm through for 2 mins, then put into a bowl to cool. Whizz the pistachios in a blender until finely ground. Add the cranberries, white chocolate, apricots and liqueur. Whizz again to combine.
3. Turn out the mixture on to a sheet of baking parchment and shape into a log about 25cm (10in) long. Pop in the freezer for 5-10 mins, to firm up.
4. Roll out the bread dough on a lightly floured surface to 28 x 18cm (11 x 7in). Place the apricot and pistachio log on top, slightly to the left of the centre.
5. Brush the left-hand edge with water. Fold the right-hand side of dough over the apricot filling and press edge down firmly, to seal. Cover loosely with cling film and leave in a warm place to rise for 30 mins. Set the oven Gas Mark 5 or 190°C.
6. Remove the cling film, and then bake the stöllen for 25 mins until risen and golden. Cool on a wire rack. Dust with icing sugar. Slice to serve.