……………………..For as long as I can remember Jac and her mother always had a Stolen on Christmas morning. Jac’s mother’s family has been making this Christmas bread as far back as they could remember……at least the 1800s…….I haven’t had it for 4 years…..the last time Jac baked one. Her sister, Marianne was making one for this Christmas and sent me a text photo of it. I thought it was time I gave it a try. She sent the receipt to me…..I couldn’t find Jac’s in the stacks of receipts she has. We went over it step by step and I started…….flour, yeast, eggs, water, milk, mace, butter, sugar, currants and powdered sugar. It takes all day between waiting for the 4 rises after kneading the dough forever. What you see above is already half way through the process. The braiding of the dough with the currants already mixed in is the job Jac always gave me. She just couldn’t get the braiding right. I’m not sure if my braids were 100% right, but thy were good enough. After the braid is made on a cookie sheet you cover it with towels, put it in a warm place and let it rise over night. The photos at the top left show the braid. The photos at the bottom left show the bread after the overnight rise!!! It was always fun in the morning to uncover the bread to see just how big it grew. All I can say is the yeast did its’ job!It was enormous!!! It lapped over the cookie sheet. Into the oven it goes at 350 for 30-35 mins.. The pictures at the upper center show the bread right out of the oven, slightly golden brown, and basted with melted butter. Then you wait until it cools and sprinkle powdered sugar all over…….Jac used to call me and say it’s time to put the snow on the mountain…..That was a fun part……Now it’s ready to eat……………..For my very first time I would give it 8 out of 10….not bad……………..It really tasted wonderful, and brought back lots of Christmas morning memories.
I make stollen also. My mother is from Germany, and I use her recipe, but I do have Jac’s recipe in my binder. I have started halving the recipe, and I make the dough in my bread machine. I think every region has a different recipe, from what my mother has told me. I soak my raisins and currents in apricot brandy! I prefer to use the golden raisins. There is also candied orange lemon and orange peel. My family expects it every year, and it doesn’t seem like Christmas without it.
Sylvia….your’s sounds delicious! Apricot brandy….you’re speaking my language!
That looks terrific, Louis! Baking is good for the soul! Thanks for sharing your traditions.
YAY!!! You DID IT!!!!!! And what a wonderful job you did, especially for your first attempt; likely you absorbed much more of Jac’s skills than you realized. Yeast baking is my favorite, and so so so easy once one knows how; it’s the most adaptable and forgiving of all types of baking. I haven’t put “snow on the mountain” yet this year, but I will soon, when I know I can share with my grandson, who knows all about my friend Jac’s treasured family recipe. I agree not a true stollen; much lighter, fluffier and to me better, compared to my late father-in-law’s stollen, which I found to be much denser and heavier; Jac’s is heavenly! If you ever can’t find a recipe she shared, just post here; one of us or all of us will have it! Happy New Year and Well Done!
Not bad for a first time! I made stollen back in the seventies. It had marzipan down the center with candied citrus peel and raisins
that are marinated in rum for 24 hours. The recipe made two loaves. I was planning to wrap one loaf and eat it in two weeks. When I took them out of the oven my four children came running down the hall. They wanted to eat it immediately. I told them to wait an hour, they need to cool down. A couple of hours later it seemed that the house was really quiet. I went down to see what they were up to. They had eaten both loaves. Not a crumb for Mom. Happy New Year Dear Louis.
That stollen looks wonderful! I’ve never made stollen. I grew up with a fruitcake tin arriving 1X/year from Macy’s. My Mom preferred the dark fruitcake over the light or blonde type. Once I married I decided to make it myself. A Parents magazine recipe from when the kids were young became my fruitcake recipe. I used mini loaf pans so any could get a taste of of it without being stuck with it forever. I would bring it presliced to numerous Christmas parties. Everyone loved it & no leftovers to bring home!
Every year I try to choose 5 different cookie recipes that go into various tins for people. It’s something I enjoy every year. This year I only did 3 recipes — espresso chip cookies, white chocolate orange flavored cookies & eggnog flavored thumbprint cookies. Have a happy & healthy 2021!
Louis, the Stollen looks so yummy. Great job! So proud of you. Happy New Year to you and all the Linea Ladies.
It looks so delicious! I’ve never tried baking anything with yeast due to lack of confidence in doing it right. Good for you and the great outcome! Enjoy!
Well done Louis! I’ve never eaten Stollen, but I can imagine how wonderful your home smelled as it baked. I had to laugh out loud at your comments about not leaving the kitchen for fear of forgetting the bread. I often have that problem. These days it seems that my ability to multi task is more limited. My son and daughter live in San Francisco and they had a 3.6 magnitude earthquake just before 6 am this morning. It was strong enough to jolt them awake. My daughter called and said “what else can possibly happen this year”? It does seem that we are under siege. This is one year I am happy to put behind me. I wish you and all the Linea ladies a New Year filled with happiness, good health and the ability to adapt to change.
Much Love…
P.S. I love the suggestions about television shows to watch and also the idea of a pajama party on New Year’s Day. That would be a fun idea for a gathering at home. I will file that idea away for next year!
YUMMY!!!!!!!!
That looks absolutely delectable. Our Christmas morning treat was my mom’s homemade sticky buns, which she continued to provide after I was married and had 3 boys who would eat a whole pan by themselves, of course. After we moved from WNY to Baltimore in our first of many moves along the east coast following my husband’s career in broadcast engineering, I started making them myself, and found out about those long hours of rising that enriched dough requires for maximum flavor and flakiness right at the time when time was shortest. I once decided to skip that second rise; heck, the buns were shaped and nestled in their pan, so what was the big deal? Besides, I needed my oven for other seemingly more important things, and quickly. BIG mistake, lol. We ate them, but the comments (“THESE don’t taste like Nana’s”) were NOT complimentary. Duly noted, and I learned you never cut corners with baking, even w/o Paul Hollywood skewering one with his laser blue gaze. I would STILL kill for a proving drawer, though. I salute you for your diligence in sticking to your wife’s family recipe, and for so much more this season. May the new year bring us much needed peace, a good measure of happiness, and those to lead us who are willing and ready to do the hard work that a good stolen requires.
Beautiful! How wonderful! While living in Europe, my local friends always said stollen actually improves with time. Have never made it but do purchase it sometimes at a wonderful local artisan bakery. It does keep very well. Unlike so many other baked goodies that are best on the day they are baked, they maintained stollen got better. That is also true of my family’s fruit cake. Four or five years ago, I finally successfully attempted the fruitcake my mother and grandmother had made. I’m not sure how far back it went beyond their generations. They were Dutch and German on that side of the family, so likely originated in the old country. For years, my brother kept talking about how it was the very best fruit cake he’s ever had. I have to agree. I knew nobody else would make it so I finally did. It is also a big job but very rewarding ! Since then, I’ve made it several times and normally give him a few loaves for his Christmas gift. It’s one thing he cannot buy for himself and nobody else will give him. It has again become a family tradition after many, many years without it. I have a much greater appreciation of it now than when I was young. Now our adult kids enjoy it also and want some to take home when we have it. It makes many loaves. Since the family did not gather as a whole group this year, I did not make it. I plan to do that when we finally are able to gather again in the spring or summer, or whenever it is safe to do so.
Excellent job, Louis! Love that you are keeping Jac’s traditions….
“Snow on the mountain”, I love it! I believe you said in the past that Jac’s family was from Holland (or Belgium)? I haven’t had stollen in a long time and I had no idea that it was such a process to make it! I’m so glad you decided to bake it this year and it looks like you did a wonderful job. It’s a lovely feeling to carry on the family traditions. As I mentioned before, I finally made my grandfather’s fruitcake and I am so glad I did. He came from Holland as a boy (right after WWI). His family owned a bakery there. I may have to try stollen next year. Hugs!
Jac’s family were from Belgium, very near to Bruges. Jac has told me that their receipt isn’t really a true Stolen which closer to a fruit cake/bread. They only use dried currents. There were lots of currant bushes on her great great grandmother farm and she used currants, at least that is what I’ve been told. All I know is I love it….and I love the taste of Mace!
It makes sense they would use what they had the most of! I thought there were more fruits in regular stollen.
We have a large Belgian and Dutch population here in Wisconsin. In Belgium, WI (Door County), they have a Belgium Days festival every year. I am wondering if Jac’s family made booyah? Every church picnic when I was growing up in Green Bay had the Belgian soup, booyah. My father still makes it.
That looks so good!! I tend not to make such things because my husband and I would end up eating it all ourselves.
However, I have been saying for years that I want to try and make krumkake and rosettes, Norwegian goodies that I used to help my mom make way back when. I still have her krumkake and rosette irons, just not the courage to attempt making them myself! LOL
2021 is a new year….make them, and enjoy doing it…no judgement in making goodies!
Bravo, Louis! You are our hero in more ways than one. Happy & Healthy New Year!
Looks yummy! I am a firm believer that baking is good for the soul -maybe not for the tummy and hips-but good for the soul! Here’s to some fantastic riding in 2021!
Louis, congratulations on a job well done. That was a lot of work! My grandmother used to let us kids help her with the holiday bread. We always made a mess, but the bread somehow managed to still taste delicious. Happy New Year to all of the Linea ladies.
Bravo, Louis! Your stolen looks delicious. Well done! You have been courageous is so many ways of late. Your parents would be proud of you. Happy New Year! You are talented and you dare to take chances. You will be all right, dear friend.
“..IN so many ways of late.”
Sorry for the typo.
This brings back wonderful memories for me as a child. My grandmother would visit us in nj from her home in Manhattan for the holidays. We always had stolen on Christmas morning. Thank you for sharing !
Louis, That looks so good you can be proud of yourself. I have that recipe you posted it on the blog here. I love making breads especially on a winter day it fills the house with such good aromas .
Wishing you a wonderful NewYear 🥂
Yes Kathy, the entire house smelled wonderful while it was cooking. I never left the kitchen because it only takes 30 mins to 35 mins. I was afraid with my memory I would get involved with something else and burn it! It’s happened before. It took so long to make there was no way I was going to let it burn. I even scotch taped signs up to remind me. but that was going a little overboard…LOL
Sounds like you had a good time LOL
That looks yummy, Louis! Our annual tradition is to go to our favorite restaurant on New Years Day for their “pajama party” brunch. Yes, everyone attends in their pj’s at this rather high end establishment! Such a a festive and relaxed atmosphere. We had a community “barn raising” fundraiser to build a permanent outdoor heated/cooled dining area at this beloved restaurant. An amazing $50,000 was raised in two weeks and construction is under way, so they can re-open. This year we are recreating the brunch at home by inviting my mom and brother over for our “pajama party.” Next New Years we will hopefully be back at the restaurant. Wishing everyone a healthy new year!