German Faces in Market Places, PART II

German Faces in Market Places, PART II

….so, where was I?  Oh, yeah.  In Part I gave you a glance at some vendors and told you how to make mulled wine, Glühwein.  But, there is always more than just vendors at a German Christmas Market, Weihnactsmarkt.  Romance is in the air and parents with cute kids and people looking for romance and those who have unhappily found it and found that romance is a toxic mix of “I love you and I hate you and what was your name again?”

Then there are the happy folk who are just there for a drink and shopping and the sheer enjoyment of celebrating the season, with and without loved ones.  Take a glance at some more photos and try to tell me who is who. I always get confused.

But stick with me.  After the photos I'm going show you how to make your German Christmas perfect with a Stollen recipe.  Stollen?  Yep, Christmas Raisin Cake.

Now for the Stollen - Easy to put together. Takes about 2 hours and another hour to bake

4 Cups flour

1 Cup milk, warmed to at least room temp

1  Cup (2 sticks) of softened butter

1 Package yeast

1 Tablespoon lemon zest

1 Teaspoon powdered cinnamon

1/4 Teaspoon each of cardamom, cloves, and nutmeg

3/4 Cup sugar

1 1/2 Teaspoons salt

1/2 Cup chopped nuts (I used hazelnuts)

1 1/2 Cups raisins

1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Melted butter for painting the top of the Stollen

Powdered sugar for dusting the top of the baked Stollen

OPTIONAL:  1/2 Cup Rum (I didn't add Rum)

Mix rum (optional), lemon zest, lemon, and raisins.  Add a little bit of water and heat.  When the liquid is hot, remove the mixture and allow the raisins to plump.

Put the yeast in some milk and allow to sit about 15 minutes.

Put the flour and spices in a large bowl and mix well.  Drain the raisins/zest and add it. Then, add the yeast and the rest of the milk, plus the butter and nuts.

Knead until you have a smooth dough.  I mixed and kneaded by hand.  As you knead, add more flour to keep the dough dense.  Knead time should be about ten minutes.

Adding more flour and extended kneading does two things:  Allows the loaf to hold its shape better while baking and keeps the loaf from being too crumbly after it's baked.

Dust the loaf (or separate into two small loaves) with flour, cover and let rise until it has doubled, about 2 hours.  I put mine in a cold oven and turned on the oven light.

Heat oven to 350ºF

Place the loaf (or two small loaves) in the oven and bake for an hour or until a knife jabbed into the center comes out clean.  Ovens vary, so check the loaf a couple of times, before and after the hour.  Mine took 50 minutes to bake.

When the loaf comes out, paint on the butter and dust well with powdered sugar.

Pour yourself a Glüwein and settle down in front of the roaring fire!