Description

Delicious Stollen Spirals featuring a blend of soaked dried fruits, fragrant orange zest, and a marzipan center, rolled into soft yeast dough spirals and baked to golden perfection. Perfect for festive occasions or cozy teatime treats, these spirals are enriched with warming spices and topped with butter and icing sugar for a sweet finish.

Ingredients

Scale

Fruit Mixture

Zest of 1 orange
Juice of ½ orange
4 tbsp Cointreau
85g dried cranberries
85g mixed dried fruits
25g pistachios, chopped

Dough

550g strong white bread flour, plus extra for kneading
2 x 7g sachets easy-bake dried yeast
85g golden caster sugar
Good grating of nutmeg
½ tsp salt
85g butter, plus extra for greasing
1 large egg
250ml warm milk
Sunflower oil, for the bowl

Filling and Topping

300g golden marzipan
Melted butter, for brushing
Icing sugar, for dusting
Optional: Icing sugar mixed with a little water for drizzle
Optional: Additional chopped pistachios for sprinkling

Instructions

Soak Fruit: In a small bowl, combine the orange zest and juice, Cointreau, dried cranberries, and mixed dried fruits. Stir well and leave to soak while preparing the dough to allow flavors to meld and fruits to plump up.
Prepare Dough Mixture: In a large bowl, mix together the strong white bread flour, dried yeast sachets, caster sugar, nutmeg, and salt. Rub in 85g of butter until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. In a separate bowl, beat the egg with warm milk, then pour this liquid into the flour mixture. Stir with a round-bladed knife until a soft dough forms.
Knead Dough: Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 2 minutes until smooth and elastic. Add a little extra flour only if the dough is too sticky. Lightly oil a large bowl with sunflower oil, place the dough inside, cover with cling film, and leave to rise in a warm place for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
Prepare Baking Tin and Roll Dough: Line a large roasting tin with baking parchment and butter the parchment. Roll the risen dough into a firm long strip approximately 70cm by 18cm. Add the chopped pistachios to the soaked fruit mixture, then scatter this evenly along the dough strip.
Add Marzipan and Roll Up: Roll the marzipan into a sausage shape the length of the longest side of the dough strip. Place the marzipan down the center of the dough, then roll the dough up around it like a sausage roll, sealing the edges firmly. Trim the ends and cut the roll into even lengths to form spirals.
Second Proof: Arrange the cut spirals cut-side up in the prepared roasting tin. Cover loosely with cling film and allow to rise again for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until well risen and puffy.
Bake: Preheat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan)/gas mark 5. Bake the stollen spirals in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.
Finish and Serve: Remove from the oven and brush the hot spirals with melted butter. Dredge with icing sugar or drizzle icing sugar mixed with a little water over the tops. Optionally, sprinkle with extra chopped pistachios for added texture and presentation. Serve fresh and consume within 2 days. These spirals can be frozen for up to 6 weeks before baking.

Notes

Use strong white bread flour for best structure and rise in the dough.
Soaking the dried fruits in Cointreau and orange juice plumps them up and adds flavor depth.
Marzipan adds a sweet, nutty center and is essential for authentic stollen spirals.
Handle the dough gently when rolling up to prevent the filling from leaking out.
The spirals are best eaten fresh but can be frozen unbaked for up to 6 weeks.
Adjust baking time slightly if your pieces vary in size.
If you prefer, substitute Cointreau with another orange liqueur or orange juice for a non-alcoholic version.

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15-20 minutes
Category: Baking
Method: Baking
Cuisine: German

Keywords: Stollen spirals, marzipan, fruit bread, festive baking, yeast dough, stollen recipe, Christmas baking, dried fruit bread, nutmeg, pistachios