Marzinpanstollen

Ingredients [American]

Filling

• Either:
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 vanilla bean
• 150 g marzipan
• 50 g sugar
• Either:
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 egg white
• 40 g almonds, chopped
• Either:
• 1 Tb almond liqueur
• 1 Tb dark rum

Quark dough

• 500 g flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp cardamom
• 200 g butter, softened
• 125 g sugar
• 2 eggs
• 10 drops bitter almond extract
• zest of 1 lemon
• 250 g fat free quark, drained

Topping

• 50 g butter
• 50 g powdered sugar

Directions

If using a vanilla bean, slit open and scrape out the seeds. In the mixer, combine the filling ingredients, then cover and allow to mellow for one hour or overnight. If the marzipan is particularly hard, use a food processor.

Butter a 36 cm stollen form. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C.

To make the dough, whisk together the flour, baking powder and cardamom. Beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until light, about three minutes. Add the eggs one at a time and beat on medium speed. Beat in the almond extract and lemon zest. Reduce the mixer to low speed, and add the flour, mixing until just combined. Add the quark and mix until combined.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead quickly but gently, until the dough is smooth. It will not be elastic and springy like yeast dough.

Flour the surface again and roll the dough out until it is 36 cm by 30 cm.

Put the filling between two sheets of wax paper or parchment paper cut to the size of the rolled out dough. Roll the filling between the papers, leaving 3 cm around the edge. Carefully peel one of papers from the rolled filling, flip the filling onto the dough, and peel the other paper off. Scrape any filling stuck to the papers off and press onto the dough.

Roll the dough around the filling starting from the long side. Pinch the ends and the top seam.

Lay the rolled dough onto the baking sheet, seam side up. Press the stollen form on top of the dough. Bake 45 minutes to an hour.

When the bread comes out f the oven, melt the butter over gentle, low heat, and brush on the bread. Sift powdered sugar over the loaf. Slice about 1 cm thick.