Ingredients
2 1/2 cup flour (all-purpose)
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp mace
8 cardomon seed pods, seeds
1 removed and crushed
3/4 cup almonds, blanched, ground
1/2 cup butter, soft
1 cup cream cheese, softened
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
2 tbsp brandy
1/2 cup currants
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/3 cup candied lemon peel, chopped
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar, powdered
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Sift together the flour, baking powder,
sugar, salt, mace, and crushed cardamon seeds. Stir in the ground
almonds. Cut in the soft butter until the mixture looks something
like coarse sand. In a blender, cream the egg with the cream cheese,
vanilla, almond extract, and brandy. Pour it into a bowl and stir in
the dried fruit. Gradually stir in the flour mixture until everything
is is well blended. Work the dough into a ball and turn it out on a
lightly floured board. Knead it for a few minutes until it is smooth,
then place it in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes. (You can
store the dough in the refrigerator for several days, then take it
out to bake when ever you like.) Shape the dough into a flat, oval
loaf, about 10 inches long and eight inches wide. With the blunt edge
of a knife, crease the loaf about 1/2 inch off center, down the
length of it. Fold the smaller side of the creased loaf over the
wider side. Brush the top of the folded loaf with the melted butter.
Place the stollen loaf on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for
about 45 minutes, until it starts to turn brown on the outside.
Remove and allow to cool a little bit. Dust lightly with powdered
(i.e., confectioner's) sugar.
Servings: 1 servings
Christmas Stollen (Quick-Bread Variety) Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Bread; Breads; Christmas; Holiday
The History of Recipes
It is actually possible to track the history of recipes way back into the far past, in truth as far as the early Egyptians, and possibly even further. Having said that, in the main part, these ancient cookbooks were just very simple pictorial, hieroglyphic or cunieform instructions for preparing meals.
Moving on, we have two interesting cookery books dating from the 1300s ; a book entitled `Forme of Cury`, and another, similary entitled `Curye on Inglish`. Perhaps surprisingly, these have no connection with the curry that is familiar to us all today, but rather accounts of the types of food eaten by the rich and powerful. Later, in the 15th century, knights returning from the crusades brought back many new foods, spices and herbs from the Middle-East, such as rosemary and coriander. These new foods and spices prompted an outbreak in publications on food, most of which still exist in private libraries. The revolution that is television brings us celebrity chefs and the spin-off recipe books. Which pretty much brings us up to date and the invention of the internet, allowing everybody to access thousands of recipes just like those on sites such as this. |
We hope you enjoy this Christmas Stollen (Quick Bread Variety) recipe.
