Divide the marzipan in half, roll each into a ball and then into a 15cm long log.
100 g Marzipan
Weigh the flour, sugar and salt and sieve this into the bowl of a stand mixer.
250 g Strong Flour, 30 g Caster Sugar, 5 g Salt
Using a small saucepan, heat the milk to 30-34, remove from heat, add the yeast and leave for five minutes.
65 g Milk, 7 g Instant Yeast
Fix the hook attachment to the mixer and run at a slow speed. Add the milk in two stages, then add the eggs one at a time. Increase the speed to medium and mix until you have a glossy dough which comes cleanly away from the sides. How long this takes depends on a number of factors which include your room and ingredient temperature. However, it should take up to 15 mins.
2 Whole Eggs
Add the softened butter to the dough in two stages followed by the cinnamon, mixed peel, sultana and rum (if using).
20 g Flaked Almonds, 100 g Sultanas, 20 g Mixed Peel, 10 g Rum, 1 g Cinnamon, 225 g Unsalted Butter
Once combined, cover the bowl in cling film and leave it in a warm place for an hour or until almost doubled in size.
Allow the dough to fall from the bowl gently, then knock it back and divide it into two.
Lightly flour the worktop and shape the dough into a rectangle using your hands. Then, take a rolling pin and roll the dough out to 17 x 10cm.
Take one of the marzipan logs and place it a finger's width from a long-sided edge. Roll from long side to long side and then seal the join by pressing down on the dough with the side of your hand.
Place on a baking tray, cover with a tea towel and leave to almost double in size again (around 40 mins). Repeat the above steps with the second piece of dough and preheat the oven to 200.
Place the Stollen dough in the centre of the preheated oven and bake for 40 mins. If you have a large oven you can bake both Stollen at once.
Whilst the Stollen is baking, prepare the clarified butter by heating the 100g of butter in a small saucepan on low heat. When melted, strain the butter through a sieve lined with a sheet of kitchen paper.
When your Stollen is baked, remove from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack for 10 mins.
Using a pastry brush, generously coat the Stollen (including the base) with the clarified butter. You'll need to give each Stollen around three to four coats.
As soon as you have finished the last coat place the Stollen on a baking tray lined with baking paper and sift the icing sugar on the top and base. Again, this will likely need around three to four coats. Remove the Stollen from the baking paper and funnel any icing sugar that didn't catch back into your sieve between each coat.
100 g Icing Sugar
Once completely cooled, store in an airtight container and use within three days.
If you want to freeze one for later, wait until completely cooled and then wrap it in baking paper, followed by a layer of foil. Use within one month.
