Susan Jung's recipe for Christmas stollen, alternative to pudding

When I was working as a pastry cook in hotel kitchens, Christmas preparations began at least six months before the actual holiday. They started with a huge batch of Christmas pudding. Fruit was soaked in alcohol, suet was ground and large pans of pudding were steamed then soaked in more alcohol before being put away to age. The pace picked up in October, when we'd busy ourselves making gingerbread. We'd bake large batches of dough and whip up royal icing, and, by mid-November, we'd have constructed a huge, beautifully decorated gingerbread house large enough for a child to walk into. The rest of the time before Christmas was spent making batches of stollen, all types of traditional cookies and smaller gingerbread houses, which we'd give to VIP guests. By the time December 25 arrived, we were tired of Christmas. Now that I'm not forced to start preparations quite as early, the holiday has become more meaningful.

Stollen

This takes at least two days to prepare, although most of it is not active work. A 'pre-dough' is made and allowed to ferment in the fridge. It's mixed with the other ingredients, allowed to rise, then refrigerated for a slow second rise. After baking, the stollen is coated with multiple layers of butter and icing sugar, each of which needs to dry for at least 30 minutes before another layer is added.

If you have a stand mixer, now's the time to use it. The batch of dough is too large for most hand-held mixers.

Stollen makes a delicious gift. Wrap it securely in cling-film before putting it in decorative wrapping paper. It's delicious when cut into thin slices, toasted then spread thinly with butter.

For the pre-dough: