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Stollen Forki
The Stollen Forki is a dense and aromatic German sweet bread, filled with fruits and spices, that can be made with fresh or dry yeast, or even with sourdough, achieving a smooth and rich texture with a buttery touch.
flour
boiled
bread
dessert
traditional
Ingredients
Servings:
4

Ingredients

  • 400 gsuper strong flour W380 or W400 and fine “00” - I use Manitoba from Molino CAPUTO (1)
  • 9 gDepending on the type of yeast: - instant dry baker's yeast (osmotolerant) - dry baker's yeast - fresh baker's yeast - or 150 grs of sourdough starter refreshed twice
  • 55 ggrape honey L
  • 140 mlwhole milk
  • 9 gsalt
  • 50 gsugar
  • 240 gsoftened but still plastic butter
  • 1 lemon (the grated peel)
  • 1 orange (zest)
  • spices
  • 1 gcardamom powder
  • 1 gcinnamon powder
  • 1 gground clove
  • 1 ggrated nutmeg

Ingredients

  • activate the sourdough starter
  • 100 gThe day before: Activate the dough. - Take the sourdough starter out of the fridge around midday and let it warm up for 5-6 hours. - Separate 50 grs in a bowl and refresh with: 50 sourdough starter : 50 flour : 50 milk - Leave it in a covered bowl outside the fridge until the next day. -
Nutritional Information

Per Serving (Approx.)

Calories
1012 kcal
Protein
15 g
Fat
50 g
Carbohydrates
126 g

Disclaimer: These values are estimates based on ingredient types and may not be precise.

Step-by-step Guide

Ingredients Stuffing Ingredients

Stollen Forki — Ingredients Stuffing Ingredients
Ingredients Stuffing Ingredients
  • I use Manitoba flour from Molino Caputo; make sure to weigh it accurately before starting to prepare the filling.

Depending on the type of yeast: 200 g raisins

Stollen Forki — Depending on the type of yeast: 200 g raisins
Depending on the type of yeast: 200 g raisins
  • 9 g of instant baker's dry yeast (osmotolerant). Ensure it dissolves well in the mixture before proceeding with the other ingredients.
  • 14 g of baker's dry yeast. Fully disperse it in the dough to ensure consistent leavening.
  • 25 g of fresh baker's yeast. Dissolve it in a bit of warm milk before adding it to the rest of the dough to activate it.
  • Alternatively, use 150 g of sourdough refreshed twice. Mix it with 55-60 g of large-sized egg, 60 g of diced candied orange peel, 140 ml of whole milk, 60 g of diced candied lemon peel, 9 g of salt, 80 g of sliced almonds or almond flour, and 50 g of sugar.
  • For the topping, use 240 g of softened butter that is still pliable. Look for brands like Montanari Gruzza, available at Veritas.
  • You can also find La Barratte du Crèmier at Llet Crua on c/ Càceres, 14. Grate the peel of one lemon and one orange for the topping and add powdered sugar. Incorporate the spices: 1 g of ground cardamom, 1 g of ground cinnamon, 1 g of ground clove, and 1 g of grated nutmeg. The best flour would be triple zero 000 texture, but since it is hard to find in Barcelona, I recommend using the Manitoba Flour from Molino Caputo, which is strong and fine 00. You can find it at Casa Perris, plaça Comercial, 2 (in front of the entrance of the Born), or at Gàdgets d'Aragó.

Two Days Before Baking

Stollen Forki — Two Days Before Baking
Two Days Before Baking
  • Prepare the bread dough by mixing the flour, water, yeast, and salt in a large bowl until well combined. This process should take about 10 minutes.
  • Knead the mixture by hand for about 20 minutes on a lightly floured surface until you get a smooth and elastic dough.
  • Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover it with a damp cloth, and let it rest at room temperature for approximately 24 hours. This will allow the dough to rise and develop its flavor.

Macerate the fruit with the liqueur

  • Marinate the raisins with the liquor in a small bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for at least one hour. Reserve.
  • If we buy candied fruit, there's no need to do anything else, but if desired, we can cut it into small cubes and also marinate it with the liquor for about 30 minutes.
  • I prefer to prepare the candied orange and lemon myself because I don't find it as overpowering in taste as the commercial kind. If we want to make them at home, this is how I do it:
  • Thoroughly clean the peel of an orange and a lemon, using a stainless steel scrubber without soap if possible, to ensure there are no traces of dirt or wax.
  • Cut them into slices that are not too thin, to prevent them from falling apart during cooking, nor too thick, to ensure they cook well.
  • Place enough water in a saucepan to cover the fruit (this water will be discarded afterward). When it begins to boil, add the fruit and let it cook for 3 minutes.
  • Immediately drain the fruit and discard the cooking water.
  • Add 250 ml of mineral water and 200 g of white sugar to a saucepan. It's important that there is enough water to ensure the necessary cooking time.
  • Once the sugar has completely dissolved, add the fruit and mix well.
  • Lower to moderate heat and cook the fruit for 1 hour and 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it develops a bright and translucent appearance.
  • Then, drain the fruit (we can save the resulting syrup to sweeten the stollen dough instead of using a portion of the sugar) and leave it in the strainer for at least 30 minutes to remove excess syrup.
  • Once drained and cooled, cut it into small cubes for the desired use.

Prepare the Poolish or Activate the Sourdough Starter

  • Measure 100 g of flour and 100 ml of warm water (approximately 30°C) in a medium-sized bowl.
  • Add 1 g of active dry yeast or 2 g of fresh yeast, and mix until a homogeneous dough is formed.
  • Cover the bowl with a clean cloth and let the mixture rest at room temperature for 12 to 16 hours, until you see it has doubled in volume and bubbles appear on the surface.

Mix in a Bowl

  • Mix 100 g of flour with 100 ml of milk and let it sit at room temperature for 5-6 hours.
  • Add yeast according to the chosen type. Separate 50 g in a bowl and refresh with 50 g of flour and 50 ml of milk.
  • Mix vigorously and let the starter rest for 3-4 hours at room temperature, covered with plastic wrap.
  • Leave it in a covered bowl outside the fridge with plastic wrap until the next day.
  • Then, place it in the fridge until the following day.
  • We refresh the remaining mixture in the pot as usual and return it to the fridge. The day before baking, we prepare it.
  • If we are using the poolish that we prepared yesterday, we proceed in this way.
  • Remove the poolish from the fridge.
  • Let it come to room temperature for 2-3 hours before using.
  • If we are using the sourdough starter that we refreshed yesterday and have at room temperature, we will follow these steps.
  • Refresh it again with 50 g of sourdough starter, 50 g of the flour intended for the cake, and 50 ml of the milk planned for the cake.
  • Knead for 5-6 minutes.
  • Let it rest in the covered bowl for about 4-5 hours before using it.

Kneading the Dough

  • Cut the candied fruit into small cubes. If desired, let it macerate for an hour with the raisins to enhance the flavor.
  • Drain the raisins and place them in a bowl. Add the candied fruit if previously macerated.
  • Grind the spices with the mortar and pestle and remove the cardamom shells. Set them aside.
  • In a bowl, add the flour (remaining 350 g), the milk (remaining 90 ml), the ground spices, the sugar, the egg, a pinch of salt, and the orange and lemon zest. Mix well for 3-4 minutes until you obtain a homogeneous dough.
  • Use the stand mixer with the K-beater to mix the dough.
  • Let the dough rest for 10 minutes to allow the gluten to start developing.
  • Begin the kneading process, alternating between 2 minutes of kneading and 10 minutes of resting. Perform three complete sequences.
  • With the mixer, change the K beater to the spiral dough hook to achieve a more homogeneous dough.
  • Add the butter gradually as the dough incorporates it, ensuring it's completely combined before adding more.
  • Once the butter is fully integrated, continue kneading the dough with sequential kneading and resting, carefully:
  • Knead for 2 minutes (or with the mixer for 1/2 minute).
  • And rest for 10 minutes, repeating the process.
  • Repeat successively for about 60 minutes until the dough is very fine and flexible.
  • The dough is ready when it detaches from the sides of the bowl and passes the windowpane test (achieving a thin, translucent layer without breaking).
  • If it does not pass the windowpane test, continue alternating resting and kneading until achieved.
  • We should obtain a soft ball that is not sticky to the touch.
  • When the dough is ready, add the almond flour (or sliced almonds) to the bowl with the fruit and stir well to distribute evenly.
  • Gently incorporate the candied fruit into the dough, kneading slowly to mix them without breaking up the dough.
  • Lightly flour the work surface and turn out the dough onto it. This will prevent it from sticking while we work.
  • Finish kneading it gently, folding it over itself until the fruit is well distributed. This process can be labor-intensive because, with so much fruit, it tends to escape from the dough.
  • Shape the dough into a compact and uniform ball.
  • Let the dough rest in a covered and lightly oiled bowl at room temperature until it increases by 1/3 of its volume. The time may vary depending on the yeast used:
  • With instant osmotolerant dry yeast: about 2 hours.
  • With active dry yeast: about 6-8 hours.
  • With fresh baker's yeast: about 8-10 hours.
Recommendations & Tricks
  • If you use instant dry yeast, make sure to mix it directly with the flour to ensure an even distribution in the dough.
  • When adding whole milk to the dry ingredients, make sure it is at room temperature to help the yeast activate more easily.
  • To keep the Stollen fresh for longer, wrap it in plastic film and store it in a cool, dry place, where it will keep well for several weeks.