Walnut-Filled Stollen
Taste of Home's Holiday & Celebrations Cookbook
Mary Falk's grandmother made date stollen every Christmas. Over the years, the Cambridge, Wisconsin cook replaced her grandmother's date filling with nuts. You can also top off this sweet yeast bread with either a vanilla glaze, drizzle or frosting to suit your family's taste.
SERVINGS: 48
CATEGORY: Breads
METHOD: Baked
TIME: Prep: 30 min. + rising Bake: 15 min.
Ingredients:
- 1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
- 1 cup warm milk (110° to 115°)
- 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 to 4-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- FILLING:
- 3 cups chopped walnuts
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons half-and-half cream
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- Vanilla Glaze, Vanilla Drizzle or Vanilla Frosting (recipes also in Recipe Finder)
Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm milk. Add the butter, sugar, eggs, salt and 2 cups flour; beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1-1/4 hours.
Punch dough down; divide into thirds. Shape each portion into a 12-in. x 7-in. oval. In a bowl, combine the walnuts, brown sugar, cream, vanilla and cinnamon. Spread down the middle third of each stollen. Fold a long side over to within 1 in. of opposite side; press edge lightly to seal. Place on greased baking sheets; curve ends slightly. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 45 minutes.
Bake at 350° for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks to cool. Top with vanilla glaze, drizzle or frosting. Yield: 3 loaves.