Preparation time: 40 mins plus 1 hour 10 mins resting time
Cooking time: 25 mins
Serves 4

2 x 7g yeast sachets
1 tsp caster sugar
1½ cups warm milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
4 cups plain flour
40g unsalted butter, softened
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
¼ cup flaked almonds
½ cup dried diced apricots
½ cup craisins
Pure sifted icing sugar,
for dusting

1 Combine the yeast, caster sugar and warm milk in a small bowl. Leave in bowl and stand in a warm place for 10 minutes or until the mixture is frothy. Whisk the lightly beaten egg into the yeast mixture.

2 Sift the flour into a large bowl. Stir in the yeast mixture. Use clean hands to bring the mixture together. Cover the bowl and leave to stand in a warm place for 1 hour or until dough has doubled in size.

3 Preheat oven to 200ºC. Grease a 28-30cm round pizza pan. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Roll the dough into a 30 x 40cm rectangle. Spread the softened butter over the dough. Sprinkle with the brown sugar and ground cinnamon, then scatter over the flaked almonds, dried apricot
and craisins. Roll up the stollen from the long side.

4 Make cuts at 5cm intervals part of the way through the roll. Sit the roll on the greased pan and join the ends together in the shape of a wreath. Bake the stollen for about 25 minutes or until golden. To serve, dust with icing sugar.

Photos by Chris L Jones