Christmas Stollen is a wonderful German Baking tradition this time of year. A sweet loaf that is studded with dried fruit, spiced with cardamom and a special treat of almond paste runs through it. Once it comes out of the oven it is traditional to slather the warm loaf in butter then roll it in sugar, but we skip the extra butter and dust it with a thick layer of confectioners’ sugar to look like the snow outside. This loaf actually holds up very well for a couple of days and that makes it a great gift for the holidays.

Because it is the season of giving we are partnering with Red Star Yeast and Emile Henry for a GIANT Bread BAKING GIVEAWAY.

Emile Henry going to send 4 lucky winners a Bread Cloche, a Covered Loaf Baker, a Baguette Baker or a Rectangular Baking Stone, we’ll also send each winner Platinum Yeast and a copy of The The New Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day. Just leave a note below to enter and we will randomly pick the winners of the Emile Henry products, the Platinum Yeast and books. All of our normal rules apply and this giveaway is only open to U.S. addresses.

Speaking of gifts for the bakers on your holiday list, here are our favorite tools for baking bread, they are great for those who love to bake and folks who want to learn how.

100% whole wheat Christmas Stollen from The New Healthy Bread in Five Minutes

Makes enough for three 1 1/2 pound loaves

6 cups White Whole Wheat Flour

1 tablespoon granulated Platinum Yeast

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1/2 tablespoon ground cardamom

1/4 cup Vital Wheat Gluten

2 cups lukewarm water

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly (see the book for other alternatives)

1/2 cup honey

4 large eggs

1/4 cup brandy (OJ or black tea can be substituted)

1 1/2 cups finely chopped dried and/or candied fruit (you choose your favorites. I used cherries, raisins, craisins, and  apricots.)

1/2 cup Almond Paste, per loaf

Egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water)

Confectioners’ sugar for the top

Mixing the dough: Dump the flour, Platinum yeast, salt, cardamom, and vital wheat gluten in a Round Food-Storage Container with Lid and stir them together with a spoon or Danish Dough Whisk. Add the water, butter, honey, eggs, brandy and dried fruit, mix until well incorporated. No kneading! Cover loosely and let stand on the counter for 2 hours. This dough will be sticky, but much easier to handle after it has been refrigerated for several hours. It can be stored in the refrigerator for 5 days or frozen for 2 weeks.

For a version that is a little more decadent, you can use the Brioche Dough (page 189, ABin5) and add the cardamom, the dried fruit fruit and replace 1/4 of the water for the brandy.

On baking day take a 1 1/2 pound (small cantaloupe-size) piece of dough from the bucket.

Using plenty of flour roll out the dough into a 1/4-inch-thick oval. Form the 1/2 cup almond paste into a rope and lay it onto the dough about a 1/3 of the way from the end.

Fold the dough over the almond paste in thirds, so that it forms an S-shape, when you look at it from the end.

Place the loaf on a Sheet Pan with parchment or a Nonstick Silicone Baking Mat and loosely cover with plastic and let it rest for 90 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350F degree, with rack in the middle of the oven.

Once it has rested use a pastry brush and cover lightly with egg wash, then bake for 35 to 40 minutes.

Let the loaf cool for about 20 minutes

and then Sprinkle it with confections’ sugar…

Until it is completely covered and looks like snow!

Here’s another idea for a bread baking gift:

Bread Baking Craftsy Class – An in depth video class that will guide you through the mixing, shaping and baking of our Master recipe. We’ll make dozens of breads, including everything from a boule to sticky buns. You’ll see our tips for shaping properly and getting the best results from all your breads, no matter which dough you use. If you buy the class through our site you’ll get $20 off the price of the class. Hope you’ll join us.

The winner of Sarah Kieffer’s book, The Vanilla Bean Baking Book, is Carol.

Happy Holidays!