Stollen

I didn't post this on Friday as I had intended, because it was still in the oven when the last of the natural light disappeared for the evening. Stollen is already difficult enough to see under its trademark layer of powdered sugar; photographing the loaf under horrendous indoor lighting would only add to the visual distress. I needed to wait for the bread to cool before slicing it anyway, not that an explanation is necessary or remotely interesting.

I've neither tasted nor made stollen until this attempt, but have grown increasingly curious about them over the last few years. Following Peter Reinhart's recipe in The Bread Baker's Apprentice, I made the necessary vegan substitutions (i.e., replacements for eggs and butter), as well as a few other adjustments. Rather than using candied fruit soaked in brandy, I soaked dark raisins, dried cranberries, and dried, chopped apricots in spiced rum. Finely chopped, candied orange peel replaced orange zest. The filling itself was a combination of additional dried cranberries, sliced almonds, and a thick ribbon of homemade almond paste. The end result is one massive, dense, sweet crescent that is loaded with fruit and nuts. Each bite has hints of citrus and rum bitterness. Stollen is certainly a colorful, wintry-looking creation--appropriately so, for something traditionally eaten during the winter holiday season. It's a bittersweet reminder that with Halloween around the corner and Thanksgiving a month away, the full-fledged holiday baking frenzy will be upon us soon enough.

*UPDATE 12/02/11: This post is heading for the special holiday edition of YeastSpotting.