ALMOST NO-ADDED-SUGAR STOLLEN , Skinnier, Alcohol, Indulgence, wheat-free opt.

Stollen fruit-filled sweet Christmas bread has fallen out of the style for the last 10 years but is back in the shops...

updated 11/25; first posted 2015

Easy-peasy Almost No Sugar Stollen
'Big thumbs up...it was like...Yes!' Taster

NOTE: in view of rapidly rising food prices, 67GOINGON50 is switching from pound/pence prices to the categories: frugal/wallet-friendly, moderate and indulgent.  

Stollen uses to be a Christmas treat everyone was happy to dig into at teatime.  Rich and fruity, it was a cross between a loaf cake and a marzipanned fruit cake. 67 loved it but was not keen on marzipan and worried about its sugar levels.  

This recipe was developed to solve those problems.  The 67goingon50 stollen is a light buttery loaf filled with boozy fruit; it contains only a tiny bit of added sugar (if you want it) plus whatever ends up as topping: melted white chocolate, orange & icing sugar drizzles or a light dusting of icing sugar.   

Stollen needs a bit of planning but is easy to make with much of the prep done in advance.  The fruit is soaked overnight to soften and intensify flavours.  Dry ingredients could be measured the night before and covered. Cut the fat into small dice and refrigerate.

The mixing of ingredients then becomes easy-peasy.

If you're looking for something that's currently in vogue, try this healthier stollen - you may not go back to the original.  

Cost: moderate to indulgent
Feeds: about 12-15 slices

Ingred: 

    250gr/8oz mixed dried fruit, incl whole maraschino cherries, big chunks of dried mango or apricots and raisons or currents
    1/4 cup/60 ml Armangac or equiv liqueur/orange juice/tea 
   
    240 gm/8.5 oz plain flour (common wheat or spelt)
    1/2 tsp baking soda
    3/4 tsp salt
    2 tsp ground cinnamon
    2/3 tsp nutmeg
    2/3 tsp cloves
    2 tablespoons sugar (opt)
    grated zest of 2 oranges (use the fruit in Orange & Berry Plate)
    
    min 2- max 3 oz/ 56-85 gm cold dairy or plant butter (67 uses Tomor margarine) in small dice
    
    190 ml cold buttermilk or a 3/4 - 1/4 mix of plant yoghurt and water/plant milk, stirred from bottom to top
    1 small egg, beaten
    1 tsp vanilla essence
    
    garnish: melted white chocolate, orange juice (recipe in tips below) or  powdered sugar
    
Method:

The night before:  

1. Rinse dried fruit in boiling water to remove preservatives; drain; put it in a new wet j- cloth and squeeze lightly to get rid of some of the moisture OR dry with paper towels
2. Put the fruit in a bowl & pour over alcohol; cover and leave at room temp overnight.

Baking Day:

1. Put dry ingred in a large bowl; mix in spices & orange zest 
2. Rub in or coarsely process cubed butter until the butter is the size of peas
3. Pre-heat oven to 190c/170fan/375F/gas5
4. Drain & dry fruit, saving liquid 
5. Stir into flour mixturewith a fork for even distribution; this may take a few minutes
6. Measure liquid from fruit; whatever you have, replace an equivalent amount of buttermilk (ie. if you have 2 tablespoons fruit liquid, remove 2 tbsp buttermilk and replace it with the fruit liquid)
7. Mix buttermilk, egg & vanilla; make a well in flour-fruit mix; pour in liquid
8. Mix with a spatula to incorporate all the flour then stir again with a fork to ensure fruit is evenly distributed.  Rest 5-10 mins.
9. Tip onto a lightly floured board, bring together and push into a stollen shape. (it might flatten out while cooking but the taste is still terrific)
10. Using two fish slices, transfer onto a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper 
11. Bake 45-50 mins; at 35 mins, turn stollen over so underside is exposed and return to oven
12. The stollen is done when it sounds hollow when the bottom is tapped
13. Cool on a wire rack; drizzle with melted white baking chocolate* or an orange glaze (recipe in tips) or dust lightly with icing sugar

Tip:

• Instead of shaping the dough, dollop it into a large greased loaf tin, bottom lined with greaseproof paper 
• Orange glaze: Mix 1 tbsp orange juice with 2-3 tbsp sifted icing sugar until of drizzling consistency

Comments:
'Four people tried this and they all gave a big - and I mean Big - thumbs up.  It could have been bland but there are so many big chunks of juicy fruit, it was like...Yes!'  Laundrette Manageress

*available at major supermarkets; do not use white chocolate bars

    
Also How to...Host the Festive Season Healthily & Affordably

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This recipe has been developed by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission.