Recipe for Stollen

This traditional German Christmas bread is rich thanks to marzipan and rum-soaked fruit. And despite a heavy dusting of powdered sugar, it isn't overly sweet. The recipe, from Andrew Whitley's "Bread Matters," is a bit involved, but the payoff is worth it. The fruit and marzipan can be prepped a day ahead to break up the work.

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STOLLEN

Start to finish: 6 hours (1 hour active)

Makes 1 large stollen (about 10 servings)

For the fruits:

Scant 1/2 cup golden raisins

Heaping 1/4 cup raisins

1/4 cup candied mixed peel

4 teaspoons rum, brandy, or fruit juice

For the marzipan:

7 tablespoons ground almonds

5 teaspoons superfine sugar

8 teaspoons powdered sugar

4 teaspoons beaten egg

For the dough:

1 teaspoon plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided

1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon milk or water

11 tablespoons whole-wheat bread flour, divided

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 eggs

3 1/2 tablespoons salted butter, plus extra melted butter for brushing the stollen

To prepare the fruit, in a small bowl or plastic bag, combine both raisin varieties, the candied peel and the rum (or other liquid). Let stand at least several hours or even overnight. Stir the fruit (or shake the bag) periodically.

To prepare the marzipan, in a medium bowl combine all ingredients and mix to form a firm paste suitable for rolling out. Set aside. If prepared in advance, store the marzipan in a plastic bag and refrigerate.

To prepare the dough, in a medium bowl combine 1 teaspoon of the sugar, the yeast and the milk. Mix until the sugar is dissolved, then beat in 6 1/2 tablespoons of the whole-wheat flour to make a soft paste. Cover and let rise until it falls in on itself, about 1 hour.

In a large bowl, combine the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar, the remaining 4 1/2 tablespoons of whole-wheat flour and all of the all-purpose flour. When the yeast-flour mixture is ready, add it and 1 egg to the dry ingredients, working them into a dough.

Knead the dough for 10 minutes by hand or 5 minutes in a stand mixer. Do not add flour; the dough should be very soft and sticky. Cover the dough loosely with a plastic bag and leave in a warm place to rise for about 1 hour.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

To assemble the stollen, drain the fruit. Gently fold it into the dough, trying not to break up its structure completely but aiming to distribute the fruit evenly. You may need to use another 2 to 4 tablespoons of flour to dust your hands and the work surface. Set aside.

Using a light dusting of flour on the work surface and your rolling pin, roll the marzipan into an 8-by-6-inch rectangle.

Roll or stretch the dough to make a rectangle just slightly larger than the marzipan. Place the marzipan on the dough. Press down gently, then roll the whole thing up, finishing with the seam underneath the resulting log.

Transfer the log to the prepared baking sheet. Beat the remaining egg, then brush it over the stollen without letting the egg pool at the edges. Cover the stollen loosely by overturning a large bowl over it.

Let the loaf rise until puffy and nearly doubled.