Stollen

Though I am a bread baker I had never made stollen until a couple of years ago at Christmas time when I felt compelled beyond reason to make some. Honestly I barely even knew what stollen was, but I obeyed my ancestral German muse. This year after looking on line and learning that a stollen recipe is different in every haus, and being that I was not going back out to shop for cardamon or almonds, I decided I would just go with the fruit. It was a little heavy on the cherries both candied and dried, however they sweetened it nicely. In spite of the frustratingly slow rising and the huge mess I made, I think it was worth it.

Not the greatest picture but . . .