Christmas stollen

• Prepare everything you need.
  
• Rinse the dried fruits, pour orange juice over them, and let them sit for an hour. Cut the larger fruits to the size of raisins. During the infusion time, all the liquid will be absorbed. If desired, you can add a couple of tablespoons of brandy or other alcohol.
  50 g raisins, 50 g dried apricots, 50 g prunes, 50 ml orange juice
  

Sponge

• First, make the sponge. In a bowl, add sugar and yeast. Pour warm milk over them and mix.
  20 g yeast, 30 g sugar, 100 ml milk
  
• Add flour.
  100 g flour
  

Dough

• Leave it in a warm place for 20 minutes. The mixture will foam, indicating that the yeast is active. Add salt and sugar to the sponge, then add the egg. Pour in melted butter.
  1 pc egg, 70 g sugar, ¼ tsp salt, 100 g butter
  
• Mix. Add flour.
  330 g flour
  
• It may not all go in, the dough should not be sticky. Knead for at least 5 minutes.
  
• Let it rise for an hour. Place it on a cutting board.
  

Filling

• Flatten the dough. Sprinkle soaked dried fruits, nuts, and the zest of one orange. Add spices, in this case, nutmeg and cinnamon.
  50 g raisins, 50 g peanuts, 50 g dried apricots, 50 g prunes, 50 g walnut, ¼ tsp ground nutmeg, ¼ tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp orange zest
  
• Knead to evenly distribute the filling throughout the dough. Stretch it with your hands to a thickness of about 2 cm. Mark a line, separating one third. Fold the smaller part first, then wrap the other part on top. A groove should form.
  
• Transfer to a baking pan or baking sheet. It is more convenient to use a pan, as the stollen does not spread too much.
  
• Let it rise for half an hour.
  
• Bake in the oven at 170 ℃ for 30-40 minutes, depending on the size and thickness. Press it, the pastry should be soft but firm.
  

Topping

• Let it cool and brush with melted butter.
  30 g butter
  
• Sprinkle generously with powdered sugar. It should be a very thick layer, so that the butter cannot soak through.
  70 g powdered sugar
  
• Wrap in parchment paper and keep in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. During this time, the German Christmas cake will mature and reveal its flavor.