Making Stollen is a labour of love but then the best things always are

Fruity mince pies, Christmas puddings and cake all spring to mind. It’s cold at the moment and the added bonus of the oven being on to warm the place is a plus, never mind the scent and end result. Stollen is a traditional German bread that’s been around for centuries but has become an intrinsic part of our Christmas eating. Making it is a labour of love but then the best things always are. Essentially it’s a yeasty fruit loaf with nuts added and a line of marzipan baked through the middle. It requires a couple of provings but put on some music, make some tea and enjoy the chill out time. There’s something so satisfying about cutting into bread to reveal dough speckled with dried fruit and nuts with a rich seam of marzipan running down the middle. With homemade Stollen you have control of whatever goes into it. I’ve suggested dried cherries soaked in rum for the fruit but you could substitute cranberries, raisins, dates….

Irish coffees have had a bit of resurgence of late and I do wonder why they actually did go out of fashion momentarily. Good coffee, sweetened with Demerara sugar, a toot of whiskey, all topped off with whipped cream – what’s not to love? For a bit of a change in the hot drinks department I’ve added a recipe for hot buttered rum. You melt sugar and butter in a pan with cloves then add some rum and allspice. Strain this mixture into two heat proof glasses and top with hot water. Add a sprinkling of freshly ground nutmeg and a cinnamon stick for garnish. This would make a delightful accompaniment to the Stollen or to go down the Italian road I’ve added a recipe for Cantucci biscuits. These are a type of biscotti, the classic biscuit that means twice cooked, that have the wonderful addition of honey candied walnuts. The biscuit dough is formed into a sausage and baked then removed from the oven, sliced thinly and returned to cook through, hence the twice cooked meaning. In Italy they would serve these with coffee and some sweet liqueur but the hot buttered rum would be just perfect. Either way your house is going to smell splendid and you have the added bonus of some lovely buttery, warm spiced baking.