Stollen Wreath Bread With Mrs Kostyra Recipes

STOLLEN WREATH BREAD WITH MRS. KOSTYRA

Steps:

• In two separate bowls, soak currants in cognac and golden raisins in orange juice; set aside. In a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, salt, mace, and nutmeg; set aside. In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup milk and 10 tablespoons butter over medium-low heat until butter is melted. Let stand until lukewarm, about 5 minutes.
• Pour 1/4 cup warm water into a small bowl; sprinkle with yeast, and let stand 2 to 3 minutes. Stir to dissolve yeast completely. Add the dissolved yeast, warm milk mixture, and eggs to the flour mixture. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface, and knead until fairly smooth. Transfer dough to a large bowl.
• Add currants and raisins in their liquid, orange zest, lemon zest, citron, apricots, and almonds, and then work them into the dough with your hands. Transfer dough to work surface, and knead for about 10 minutes. If the dough is sticky, knead in more flour, but be careful not to overwork.
• Butter a large bowl with 1 tablespoon melted butter. Place the dough in the bowl, turning to coat. Cover with a kitchen towel, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Punch dough down, roll into a rectangle about 16 by 24 inches and 1/4 inch thick. Starting with a long side, roll up tightly, forming a long, thin cylinder. Carefully transfer dough to a Silpat- or parchment-lined baking sheet; join ends together, pinching with fingers if necessary to make it stick, forming a large circle.
• Using sharp kitchen scissors, make cuts along outside of circle, in 2-inch intervals, cutting 2/3 of the way through the dough. Twist each segment outward, forming a wreath shape with all the segments overlapping.
• Cover dough with a clean kitchen towel; set aside to rise for 30 minutes. Dough will rise only a little bit. Brush dough with remaining 2 tablespoons melted butter. Bake until golden brown and crusty, about 45 minutes, rotating halfway through. Place baking sheet on a wire rack to cool. Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving.

STOLLEN WREATH

Steps:

• Mix the raisins, cranberries and mixed peel in a bowl, pour over the rum, then leave to soak while you make the dough. Tip the flour into a large bowl and stir in ½ tsp salt, the yeast, sugar, nutmeg and lemon zest. Rub the butter in until the mix is like fine crumbs. Warm the milk to hand-hot, then mix into the egg. Pour the milk into the flour mix, then stir with a round-bladed knife to make a soft dough, adding a drop more milk if needed to mop up any dry crumbs in the bottom of the bowl. Gather the dough into a ball, then knead for 3-4 mins on a lightly floured surface. Put the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, cover with cling film and leave until the dough has risen to double the size (about 45 mins-1 hr).
• Knead the dough 2 or 3 times, then roll out to a rectangle about 37cm x 17cm. Stir the chopped pistachios into the soaked fruits, then spread one-third of the fruit mix down the centre of the dough, leaving all the edges uncovered. Fold each side into the centre to overlap slightly. Press the edges with the rolling pin to seal, turn the dough, then repeat the rolling out and spreading of the fruit twice more. Roll out to a final rectangle that is 55cm x 16cm. Roll the marzipan into a sausage shape, so it's slightly shorter than the length of the dough. Place it down the centre. Roll the dough over the marzipan, then turn the dough over so the join is underneath. Lift onto a buttered baking sheet, then curl the dough round a buttered 12cm round cake tin (see tip, below), brushing the ends with a little beaten egg and pinching them well together to seal.
• Cover and leave to rise for 30-45 mins or until puffy and doubled in size. Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/ gas 5. When the dough has doubled, brush with beaten egg and bake for about 25 mins until golden. Cool on the baking sheet briefly, then transfer to a wire rack.
• Make up the icing. Stir 2-3 tsp water into the fondant icing sugar and, when the stollen has cooled, drizzle the icing over. Scatter over the extra cranberries and pistachios and decorate with holly.

BABKA WITH MRS. KOSTYRA

Steps:

• Butter three 8-inch kugelhopf molds. In a small saucepan, heat lowfat milk till just below the boiling point. Add in 2 sticks butter, and stir till melted. Remove from heat, and let cold till lukewarm. Place yeast in a small bowl, and pour 1/2 c. hot water over, stirring with a spoon to break up the yeast and combine. Set aside for 2 to 3 min. In an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, beat Large eggs and egg yolks till combined. Add in sugar and salt, and continue to beat till thick and pale. Add in vanilla, orange-flavored liqueur, zests, and yeast mix; combine. Add in 4 c. flour gradually, then add in the lowfat milk mix, alternating with remaining 4 c. flour while beating on medium speed. Up to an additional 1 c. flour may be added if the dough is sticky. Add in currants, raisins, golden brown raisins, and almonds, and mix to combine. Transfer dough to a large bowl, and knead using a large wooden spoon till the dough pulls away and doesn't stick to the spoon, 8 to 10 min. Transfer dough to a large buttered bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a hot place till dough reaches top of bowl, 1 to 2 hrs. Punch the dough down, and let rise again, covered in a hot place till the dough reaches the top of the bowl, 1 to 2 hrs. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine 1 c. flour, 4 Tbsp. butter, light-brown sugar, and cinnamon to create crumb topping, and sprinkle proportionately between the three molds. Punch the dough down again, and turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead for 1 minute, and cut into thirds. Transfer dough to prepared molds, covering loosely with plastic wrap, and let rise to top of pan. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Brush dough with beaten egg, and bake till golden and hollow sounding when tapped, 30 to 45 min. Turn out onto a cooling rack, and let cold. Makes three 8-inch babkas. Yield: 3 loaves