Christmas Stollen

This lovely recipe is brought to you from Carr's Flour, known in baking circles as the flour that's tried and trusted by Britain's best artisan and trade bakers, they have recently launched their online shop

INGREDIENTS

160ml Milk, warmed to 45°C

1x7g sachet Fast Action Dried Yeast

350g Carr’s Strong White Flour

75g Caster Sugar

½ tsp Salt

100g unsalted Butter, softened

100g Dried Sour Cherries

50g Currants

50g Sultanas

175g Mixed Peel

200g good quality Marzipan

½ tsp Ground Cinnamon

Icing Sugar for the topping

METHOD

1. Lightly grease a baking tray. Sift the flour, caster sugar and salt into a large bowl, then rub in the butter to make a fine crumb texture. Make a well in the centre of the ingredients, add the yeast, then gently stir in the milk to make a dough. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead in the fruit. Knead for about ten minutes to create a smooth even texture.

2. Place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl and roll the dough to coat with oil. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and leave in a warm place to prove for one hour - it will double in volume.

3. Gently knock back the dough and tip it onto a floured work surface. Use a rolling pin to make a 20 x 10cm rectangle. Roll the marzipan into a rope a little shorter than the long side of the flat dough and place it in the centre of the dough. Fold the dough over to cover it; pinch the seams together to seal.

4. Place the loaf, seam side down, on the prepared baking tray. Cover with a clean, damp tea-towel and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes. While the loaf is proving, preheat your oven to 180°C (Fan 160°C, Gas Mark 4).

5. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 150°C (Fan 130°C, Gas Mark 2) and bake for a further 35 minutes, or until golden brown.

6. Remove from the oven and cover the loaf with a cloth and leave to cool on a wire cooling rack.

7. Dust the cooled loaf well with icing sugar, sprinkle over a little cinnamon for a spicy finishing touch.

1 LOAF 40 MINS PREP

1 HR 40 MINS PROVE BAKE 45 MINS