Who Stole my Stollen?

Also known as,

"Why do I keep instant yeast with a December 2009 use-by date?"

Like with many a baked good not involving chocolate or obscene amounts of sugar, stollen and I have a rocky past.

For those of you unfamiliar with stollen, it is a bread-cake hybrid usually enjoyed during the Christmas season in Germany. Chock full of dried fruit, some versions also have an alluring marzipan center--you'll have no trouble guessing that's my favorite part.

When I was younger, I made a run for the chocolate or sugar-covered lebkuchen when Christmastime came around. My sister, meanwhile, indulged in stollen: the one thing I probably never tried to pry from her hands. I'd rather we didn't get into all those Barbie heads I pulled off. No, really, I'm not even sure that ever happened.

Fortunately for me and unfortunately for my calorie intake, I grew into loving every and any baked good I can get my hands on. Stollen is no exception. The yeasty cake is made even more moist thanks to raisins, almonds and candied zest. The taste doesn't scream "HOLIDAY SEASON!", yet hints at it with elegant subtelty.

Now, a stollen made with yeast that doesn't provoke any chemical reaction is another story. It becomes a denser block of dough and fruit--one with a marzipan filling. Meaning, I ate it anyway and it wasn't bad at all. And I guess even my sister agreed.

I'm quite positive, however, that Mary's recipe which I used and adapted according to what I had on hand is great--and all aspiring stolleners (stollen makers in made-up language) should have a go at it.

It's sure to be a Stollen Christmas--just don't tell anyone you're the thief.

Dresdner Stollen

makes two medium loaves

recipe adapted from One Perfect Bite

2 3/4 c.  flour
1/4 TS salt
1 scant TB instant yeast
1/2 c. milk
6 TB butter
1/4 c. sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3/4 c. dark raisins
3/4 c. white raisins
zest of one lemon
zest of one orange
1/2 c. lightly toasted chopped almonds
1 tube (6 to 7-ounces) almond paste
Confectioners' sugar

In a medium bowl, mix salt and flour. Microwave on high for 1 minute, or heat in a saucepan for 2 minutes, watching closely. Add yeast and whisk.

Heat butter, milk, and hugar in a saucepan over medium heat until sugar is dissolved and butter is melted. Let cool slightly. When mixture is tepid, add egg and whisk to combine.

Blend both mixtures together and add raisins and zest.

On a floured surface, knead for approximately 5 minutes. Place dough in an oiled bowl, cover and let sit in a warm spot until doubled in size (about two hours).

Separate dough into two logs, and flatten into rectangles. Add a log of almond paste in the center of each rectangle and roll dough around it. Pinch edges and turn the loaves seam side down.

Place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, cover with a damp kitchen towel and let sit until doubled.

Preheat oven to 375°F / 190°C. Bake on the middle rack until golden, approximately 30 minutes.

Remove form oven, brush top with butter, and let cool 30 minutes. Dust with confectioner's sugar.

What's for Dinner? Zucchini. What's for Breakfast? Zucchini.

It's that time of year, they say.

"Zucchini abounds in your vegetable garden--what a better way to use it than in dessert?"

Let's get things straight here. I do not have a vegetable garden. My vegetable garden bears the name of Carrefour Market, has bright green walls and bright lighting. And no, I'm not referring to some kind of greenhouse. 

The few zucchini I do get from a vegetable garden come from my aunt Mimi or my uncle Roland in Saint Dié, which consequently isn't very often. When I get homegrown zucchini, I can't wait to eat it raw (do you do that too?) or lightly sauté it with some delicious pesto. As much as I love zucchini bread, it's the last thing that comes to mind when I've only got a pound for my personal use.

I keep reading about homegrown vegetables and what to do with your bumper crop, and I'm getting jealous. I wish I had a vegetable garden of my own and so much zucchini it fills my whole apartment. In the meantime, I decided I would just pretend--and the best way of doing that is to make zucchini bread.

"I just don't know what to do with all this zucchini. Whew. I had to make zucchini bread--couldn't help it."

On a more serious note, this is a great bread. For those of you who aren't huge fans of cinnamon in baked goods, you might think some zucchini breads go overboard spice-wise. I personally love spices, but also enjoy a bread with a more simple taste that lets the zucchini shine. Adding low-fat yogurt was a great way to bring moisture and make the bread breakfast-healthy. 

Even if you don't have crates of zucchini lying around, I suggest you give this a try. It might just convince your friends to give you their extra zucchini--and that's never a bad thing.

Yogurt Zucchini Bread

makes one loaf

1 medium zucchini, grated (yields about 1 to 1 1/4 c.)
3/4 c. low-fat or fat-free plain yogurt
1/4 c. vegetable oil
2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 TS baking powder
1/2 TS baking soda
1/2 TS salt
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/4 c. raw cane sugar or brown sugar
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350°F / 180°C.

Grease a 9-inch long loaf pan and set aside.
In a medium bowl, mix yogurt, oil, eggs and sugars. Add grated zucchini and mix.

In a large bowl, mix remaining dry ingredients. Delicately incorporate wet ingredients, but do not overmix.

Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake until golden and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour.

Cool in pan and invert onto a wire rack.

Store loaf at room temperature, in plastic wrap, for three days maximum.

Swirls Make Everything Prettier

Everyone has heard the story of who invented Scotch tape, zippers, or Post-Its. Most of the time, these inventions stem from some crazy "Eureka!" moment that changes the way the world works. For Post-Its, I'm not so convinced, but they do  make cluttering your apartment with little sticky notes a whole lot easier, that's for sure.

Now I've got a question for you: who came up with the idea of putting swirls in baked goods, and more specifically in bread? It might have been a mother who had a hard time getting her children to eat bread once it hardened, and thought putting something swirly inside would help. Or it might have been a pure coincidence, but it's more fun to tell a  story--hey, remember when Phil tried making bread with cinnamon and ended up with these weird swirls in the middle? So funny!

OK, maybe not. Wherever this tradition of swirly bread may have originated, I fully adhere to it. Bread is already pretty tasty in itself, but having an extra little treat winding its way around is even better. When I was younger, I was a huge fan of the cinnamon nut swirl bread from Strawberry Fields, our local natural/organic food shop. Toasted and slightly buttered, it was a great weekend treat. In fact, I just may fly back home this May just for a taste of it. Not to see my parents, just for the bread. (Note to my wonderful parents: Just kidding, really!)

I've been dreaming about recreating the tastiness that comes along with biting into a fresh slice of cinnamon-swirl bread, where you feel like you won't be able to stop yourself from slicing the whole loaf and eating it up in a few minutes. Back in Saint Dié for a few days, I set out to make cinnamon-swirl bread myself.

All I can say is: yum. Alright, it seriously had nothing to do with the bread I grew up with, where the swirls had a lot more filling. But it was pretty good for a first try, and definitely tasty enough to be my breakfast of choice for the next three days. I left on the third day...otherwise I would have no qualms whatsoever about eating six day-old bread. Especially this one.

I'm all ears (or eyes, I guess) if you have any suggestions to make the filling more...filling-esque!

Cinnamon-Swirl Bread

adapted from marthastewart.com

makes 1 loaf

2 TB unsalted butter, room temperature, plus 3 TB melted butter, plus more for bowl and pan
1/3 c. + 1 TB milk
1/4 c. warm water
1 package active dry yeast
3 TB plus a pinch sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. whole-wheat flour
1/2 TS salt
1 TS ground cinnamon

Make the dough: Lightly butter a medium bowl and set aside. In a smal saucepan set over medium-low heat, heat 1/3 cup milk and 2 TB butter until bubbles form along the sides of the saucepan. Remove from heat and set aside. In a cup, combine 1/4 c. warm water, yeast, and a pinch sugar. Stir to combine; the mixture should foam in about 5 minutes.

In a small bowl, slightly beat 1 egg. Slowly add milk mixture, stirring to combine. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine flour, a heaping TB sugar, and salt. Mix on low to combine. Gradually add the milk mixture, beating on low until well combined. Add the yeast mixture, beating to combine.

Remove dough to work surface,  and knead until it is silky and smooth and bounces back when pressed with your thumb. Transfer to prepared bowl, turning to coat in butter. Cover with a clean kitchen towel, and place in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 1 hour. 

Preheat oven to 350°F / 180°C, with rack in the center. Make the filling: Lightly butter an 8 1/2-by-4-by-2-inch loaf pan; set aside. In a small bowl, combine cinnamon and the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar; set aside. 

Remove dough from bowl, and punch it down to remove air bubbles. Knead until silky and smooth. 

Roll the dough into an 8 1/2-by-12-inch rectangle. Brush the surface of the dough with 3 tablespoons melted butter, and sprinkle evenly with the cinnamon sugar. 

Beginning with a long side, roll the dough up into a log. Using your fingertips, be sure to push in at the seam where the dough meets the cinnamon sugar. Carefully pull the dough back to its original 8 1/2-inch width as it shrinks. When you reach the end, pinch the two layers of dough together to seal. Place the roll, seam-side down, in prepared pan. Cover, and set aside in a warm place until doubled in size, about 30 minutes. 

Make the glaze: Whisk together remaining egg and 1 tablespoon milk. Brush over the risen dough. Bake until the crust is golden brown and the bottom sounds hollow when thumped with a finger, about 40 minutes. 

Remove from oven, and let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan, and cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes before slicing.