Amsterdam Stol (Using Bread Machine)

Amsterdam stollen (or rather: stol) is just as traditionally connected to Christmas as its German counterpart, but is richer, more moist, and denser. Make sure that you use almond paste, not marzipan -- it is less sweet and a bit coarser than marzipan; if you can't find it, it is easily made yourself by grinding 150 g of blanched almonds with 150 g of sugar and one egg. The original recipe uses "bitterkoekjes", chewy Dutch almond biscuits, but as these are almost impossible to buy outside of the Netherlands I have replaced them with Amaretti.

• Ready In: 2 hrs
• Serves: 8
• Yields: 16 slices

Ingredients

• 1  lemon
• 150  g dried currants
• 300  ml milk
• 500  g  white  bread mix (including yeast)
• 3  tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 1⁄2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 100  g  dried apricots
• 100  g prunes
• 50  g amaretti (Italian biscuits)
• 300  g almond paste

Directions

1. Zest the lemon partly; you need about 2 tsp of zest. Put currants in bowl with hot water and soak circa 15 minutes Put milk, bread mix (with yeast), sugar, zest, and cinnamon in bread machine and put it on its dough cycle. Cut apricots and prunes in small pieces and add while the machine is kneading. Drain the currants and add while the machine is kneading. Break the Amaretti in small pieces and add about two minutes before the end of the kneading phase. Allow the dough to rise in the machine.
2. Form almond paste into a roll. Dust bench with flour; take dough out of bread machine when ready and form on bench into an oval. Press a long indentation into the top of the dough, push in the almond paste roll, and fold dough around almond paste. Put on a well-greased baking sheet and bake at 200 deg C (390 deg F) until golden brown and cooked (circa 30 mins); if necessary cover with alufoil for about 10 mins to prevent it from browning too much. Take out of oven (optionally: brush with melted butter to enhance gloss) and allow to cool.