In nearly all the baking videos I've watched that uses yeast, no one talks about 1st, 2nd or 3rd rising. I'm old school and sticking to my old ways of baking through several risings with the appropriate ingredients added accordingly - 1st rising(sponge: milk, flour, sugar and yeast. This small portion will tell me if my yeast is still good. If not, then I don't have to throw away the whole batch) to 2nd rising(adding everything else except the filling) to 3rd rising(adding the fillings) - a departure from how others do it.
This method was taught to me by Philip Heyer (aka Aklay), a Michelin-rated French chef who used to be the pastry chef to the Sultan of Brunei. But Philip taught me this for baking regular bread. I don't know if it still applies to pastry or cake. But doing it this way has always come out right for me, so I'm sticking to it.
Memories of Danang, Vietnam When I was in Danang, Vietnam in 2018, I came upon M.Z. German Delicatessen, a German deli owned and operated by Michael Zangl, an amiable Master Craftsman in Germany. The deli sells traditional German Christmas bread - Stollen Bread, other European breads and deli cut meats. The Stollen bread was love at first bite. The taste resembled a fruit cake, but this one was sweeter and breadier. It also had that X-factor I couldn't put my finger on. I left Danang since, but Stollen Bread never left me.
Unattainable? Frustrated over its scarcity(only German bakeries sell them and only during Christmas) and price(Stollen is always pricey for good reason), it was tempting to just walk away and remove it from memory. But every now and then, I would be taunted by anything that even remotely reminds me of it - like doing the Kipferl German cookies. I now live in a hotel with a fully functioning bakery. What's stopping me from making my own Stollen Bread? It'll be "my precious".
suffered long and hard for this Stollen Bread....my precious!
Ingredients When I first saw the long list of ingredients, some of them to be homemade, it was daunting. I was overwhelmed. If there was Stollen bread to be bought elsewhere, I would have just bought one. Since I could prepare some components ahead of time, I staggered my preparation accordingly - I didn't rush it. First, I worked on making the candied citrus peels. Then I soaked it on rum together with raisins and almond slivers. Next, I prepared the dough - sans Marzipan. Doing the Marzipan recipe took much longer since I had to get a blender replacement - it delayed the project by weeks. Staggering it made it fun instead of overpowering. I salivated in eager anticipation of the first bite.
MAKE THE FOLLOWING RECIPES AHEAD OF TIME
Marzipan Recipe
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups very finely ground blanched almond
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons almond extract
1 teaspoon food grade rose water
1 egg white
Preparation:
Place the almond flour and powdered sugar in a food processor and pulse until combined and any lumps are broken up. Add the almond extract and rose water and pulse to combine. Add the egg white and process until a thick dough is formed. If the mass is still too wet and sticky, add more powdered sugar and ground almonds. Keep in mind that it will become firmer after it's been refrigerated.
Turn the almond marzipan out onto a work surface and knead it a few times. Form it into a log, wrap it up in plastic wrap and refrigerate.
Will keep for at least a month in the refrigerator or up to 6 months in the freezer. Bring to room temperature before using in any recipe.
Makes 1 3/4 cups of marzipan or almond paste
Candied Citrus Peel Recipe(should yield 2/3 cups candied citrus peel. You could also just buy this in a bakery supply shop)
Ingredients:
3 oranges and 4 lemons (or anything citrusy - grapefruit, calamansi, lime), soaked in baking soda solution
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup water
brown sugar for coating
Preparation:
peeling - peel the fruits being careful not to include the fruit flesh and the bitter white pith. A thin layer of pith is ok as no pith makes the peel leathery and tough. Cut into slivers or Julien.
removing the bitterness - Boil the peels in a pot of water for 15 minutes. Drain and rinse. Boil, drain and rinse again until the bitterness is gone.
candy-ing - stir and melt the sugar in the water and boil. Add the citrus peels and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the peels become translucent and the liquid sugar becomes syrupy - could be an hour.
sugar coating - strain to remove excess sugar syrup (that is a very flavorful syrup you can use for coffee or cocoa drinks). Put the peels in a tupperware of brown sugar and shake to coat.
drying - instead of dry racking, I simply spread the peels on a wide container to cool. When cooled down, I put it in the fridge to dehydrate overnight or even 24 hours.
rum soaking - When dehydrated, I simply add it to the raisin/almond/rum mixture to soak in rum as well. Add rum to make sure they remain below the surface.
Note: Since they are soaked in rum, they will contain a lot of liquid. Strain them overnight before mixing them to the dough. There should be as little liquid as possible. Excess liquid on the dough will alter the moisture/solid ratio.
Raisin & Almond Mixture
Ingredients:
1 cup raisins
1/3 cup blanched slivered or sliced almonds , finely chopped
enough rum to cover raisins and almonds
Preparation:
soak raisins and almonds in the rum for a few days to fully absorb
add the candied citrus peel to the raisin-almond-rum mixture. Make sure there is enough rum to cover mixture. You can let it sit for a few days to absorb
Note: Since they are soaked in rum, they will contain a lot of liquid. Strain them overnight before mixing them to the dough. There should be as little liquid as possible. Excess liquid on the dough will alter the moisture/solid ratio.
Dough Ingredients: (for ease and consistency, I've converted the ounces to cups)
1 cup lukewarm coconut milk or cream (or whole milk)
1/3 cup of the excess (thick) sugar mixture from the candied citrus peel (or 1/2 cup granulated sugar if the citrus peel is store-bought)
4 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons active dry yeast
-- above are mixed together (1st rising) --
1 large egg
2 large egg yolks
3/4 cup unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), at room temperature so it's very soft
2 teaspoons quality pure vanilla extract
zest of one lemon
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (or mace)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2/3 cups rum-soaked candied citrus peel
1 cup rum-soaked raisins
1/3 cup rum-soaked sliced almonds
-- above are mixed together (2nd rising) --
1 cup Marzipan [filling](almond paste), divided in half (optional)
-- the dough is rolled onto the marzipan (3rd rising) --
Glaze & Dusting Ingredients:
1 stick butter, melted (I used salted)
powdered sugar for generous dusting
Preparation:
First Rising (creating the sponge/poolish) - on a warm bowl, place 1 cup lukewarm coconut cream/milk, sugar, 1 cup flour and yeast. Whisk to create a thick soupy mixture. Cover for one hour until the mixture gets frothy with bubbles. You now have the sponge/poolish.
Second Rising (adding all the ingredients except the filling [marzipan]) - add the following to the coconut milk mixture: remaining 3 cups of flour, 1 egg, 2 egg yolks, softened butter, lemon zest, salt, vanilla extract, cardamom, cinnamon and nutmeg. Last, add the rum-soaked raisin/almond/citrus peel mixture to the batter (do not add excess rum....drink it instead. Adding the excess rum will upset the liquid to flour ratio). Start kneading either by hand or stand mixer (with a dough hook). Stop when it becomes a soft dough ball (but not sticky). Leave it on the bowl, ladle a tablespoon of oil on top of the dough ball and cover for an hour - it should double in size.
Third Rising (scaling/dividing, adding the filling [marzipan] and shaping) - Punch down the dough to remove the air. Place the dough on a floured working area and divide in 4 pieces (or 2 equal halves - up to you) . Shape the dough into an elongated oval shape and press down until flat, about 1/2 inch thick. Roll the 4 marzipan the same length of the oval dough and place on the middle of the dough, slightly pressing down. With the dough facing you horizontally, fold the upper half of the dough to cover the marzipan - the lip of the upper half should be placed halfway between the marzipan and the lip of the lower half (or just watch the video...it's a little complicated to explain). Do the same thing to the lower half of the dough. The marzipan should be fully covered by now - but should not be in a 'straight jacket'. Press the ends of the dough to cover the ends of the marzipan. Slightly press down on the dough but not where the marzipan is. This way, the hump created by the marzipan is seen. Place the 4 doughs on the baking sheet where they will be baked. Optionally, you can dot the exposed raisins with cooking oil (not butter since butter easily burns too) to prevent burning during the baking. Cover with cling wrap and leave for about an hour until it doubles in size. This is the 3rd and final rising. The dough is now ready for baking.
Note: you can also make any number of smaller loaves. Maybe you have a few people you want to gift it to.
Baking - About 10 minutes before the end of the last rise, preheat the oven to 350°F and bake the stollen for 35-45 minutes or until sounding hollow when tapped. Remove from oven and let it cool down for 5 minutes.
Glazing - Poke the bread all over with a toothpick until you make about 50 holes/dough. Brush liberally with melted butter. The butter seeps into the holes to make the inside buttery-delicious.
Dusting - While still wet with the butter, dust the bread generously with sugar using a strainer or sifter. The bread should resemble a snow-covered submarine. Let it cool completely.
Aging - The Stollen is ready for eating. But for best results, age it to let the rum flavor, citrus peel and spices inundate the entire Stollen. Wrap in plastic bag making sure excess air is removed from the plastic - you can even suck from the end of the plastic bag to create a vacuum. For longer storage, keep frozen.
Serving - best to serve Stollen (cold, room temp or warm, up to you) in thin slices + piping hot coffee.
Tom and Simona were the first to have a slice of the Stollen Bread
Ending Thoughts Whoa!!! This preparation is epic. Usually, when I do a project like this, I offer to sell a small portion to select friends. Not this time. There was too much blood, sweat and tears in doing this for money to change hands. However, these same select friends will get a slice (some thicker than others...LOL) while one guy gets a full loaf (if you don't know who I'm talking about, then it means we're not close). For the most part of the Stollen, it'll remain....my precious!
Thank you Simona for the support. Thank you Colleen for the rose water.
Pamela (Sep 16, 2021) ...full flavored/full bodied with good depth and richness and just the perfect amount of sweetness
Tom Tom Maher (Sep 11, 2021) Wow, lots of prep involved indeed! I appreciate being able to taste all of the hard work that went into this bread 🙂
David CRAZY WORLD OF DAVID (Sep 11, 2021) What can I say? Mind-boggling prep, still very tempting, alas no oven, phew that will save me a stack of work!
Gigit (Sep 11, 2021) Yes, the preparation is recipes nested within the main recipe....quite daunting, but modesty aside, it's worth all the effort.
(Sep 11, 2021) The first fermentation from a gifted scoby went like clockwork with a minor tweak. It was time to transfer the kombucha to individual bottles for the 2nd fermentation, and to make another batch.....more »»
(Oct 4, 2021) My first dabble in cinnamon rolls was in New York when someone gave me a Cinnabon - a multi-national chain selling the very popular cinnamon rolls. Like stollen bread, it was epiphany - love at first bite. Somehow, none of the subsequent cinnamon rolls I've tasted compared to Cinnabon. That was my benchmark. Now, since I'd been on a baking roll here at my digs at Nawa Saraan in Chiang Mai where I have a fully functioning bakery at my disposal, I'm rolling up my sleeve to sink my teeth into that Swedish tradition, Kannelbullar, or cinnamon rolls.....more »»
Chiang Mai INFORMATION
Chiang Mai Map
Chiang Mai, Thailand
IMPORTANT PLACES
Bus Station Train Station Chiang Mai International Airport Nong Buak Hard Park - free yoga classes daily
HOTEL
Arun Dara Villa - 7 exclusive rooms, 1 swimming pool for every room, grand opening
Nawa Sheeva Hotel - big rooms, high ceiling, salt-water pool, restaurant, cafe
Nawa Saraan Hotel - low density (4 spacious rooms), stone garden setting, Koi fish pond, Old City location
Arun Suite - 3 bedrooms in a 3-storie guesthouse within Old City, ideal for families
MOTORBIKE RENTAL
Tawan Bike - motorcycle rental | +66 91 635 2863 | Si Phum, Mueang Chiang Mai District, Chiang Mai 50200
Chiang Mai FYI / Tips
crop-burning season in Chiang Mai is between late Feb to early April. But laws change everytime. This year, 2019, there is a 61-day ban on burning so the farmers started burning early. When my plane was approaching Chiang Mai on Jan 24, 2019, there was already a thick blanket of smog covering the entire city (and beyond). But within the city itself, you won't feel it (but that doesn't mean the air is healthy). To monitor air conditions in real time, refer to site: Chiang Mai Air Pollution: Real-time Air Quality Index (AQI)
hot season begins March and lasts until June
wet season begins July and lasts until September
best time to visit Chiang Mai is mid-September to mid-February - after the monsoon and before the burning
you have to try Khao Soi, this is north Thailand's culinary staple
the tourist area where most of the hotels, restaurants, ticket offices, tour operators are, is located in the Old City
to exchange your dollars to Thai Baht, the Super Rich Money Exchange give the best rates. There are many branches scattered around Chiang Mai
get a red cab (songthao) outside the train station for Baht 50 (instead of paying B100 if inside the train station) to Old City - if you haggle nicely enough...I did!
shared red taxi (songthao) - B30 standard fare plying all over Old City
for only B50/day, best to rent a bike to go around the Old City - it's a 2.5km2 with lots to discover
FREE daily yoga classes from 9:00am to 10:15am at Nong Buak Hard Park (southwest corner of Old City). Resident and passing-through teachers take turns conducting yoga classes.
Blues/Jazz Bars in Chiang Mai
North Gate Jazz Coop - at Chang Phueg Gate, great Tuesday jam session, Blues on Sundays at 11pm by the Chiang Mai Blues band
Boy Blues Bar - at the Night Bazaar. Mondays at 9:30pm is open mic
My Secret Cafe - near Wat Phra Singh. Tuesdays at 7:30pm for the changing front-act and 9:00pm for the Panic Band
Taphae East - 88 Thapae Rd. (just north of Night Bazaar). Fridays at 9:30pm by Chiang Mai Blues Band
Chiang Mai Cost Index
B60 Chiang beer
B250 1 hour drop-in yoga session
B200 one hour Thai body massage at WAYA Massage(highly recommended)
B50 noodle soup with meat
B50 coffee
B40 pad thai
B30/kilo wash-only laundry
B50/kilo wash+iron laundry
B100-150 dorm bed/night
B250 fan room/night
B30 internet cafe/hour
B170-190 Movies Sat-Sun and public holidays
B130-150 Movies weekdays
B100 Movies Wednesdays (movie discount day)
B750 1/2 day Thai cooking lessons
B900-1000 1 full day Thai cooking lessons
B400 Muay Thai boxing ticket
B2500 starting room rate at the luxury hotel, Nawa Sheeva(highly recommended)
Transportation
B450 bus, Chiang Mai to Bangkok
B160-180 bus, Chiang Mai to Pai
B1250 bus, Chiang Mai to Luang Prabang
B1650 slow boat, Chiang Mai to Luang Prabang
B210 bus, Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai, 3-4 hours
B360 Green VIP bus, Chiang Mai to Mae Sai (Thai border town for visa run to Tachileik, Myanmar)
B50 bicycle rental, 24 hours
B200 motorbike rental, 24 hours
B273 #51 sleeping train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai
Book Online - direct booking with State Railway of Thailand. Best to register first. If going to BKK from CNX, click "Northern Line".
note -- big difference between booking direct with the State Railway and booking with an online 3rd party agent. 12GO was charging B1330 for the same trip that only cost me B941 with the State Railway.
note -- Oct 2022, I took the #10 Train from CNX to BKK, upper berth, 2nd class, a/c, sleeper, B941. The train was clean, fast, comfortable and modern. If you have heavy luggage that will cost more money in flight checkin, I would suggest this train. Otherwise, the flight now is so much cheaper it doesn't even make sense to take the bus or train.
Bangkok to Chiang Mai by Train from Bang Sue Train Station
10:22pm - #51 Train, arrive Chiang Mai 12:10pm, sleeper, 3rd class B270 (non sleeper), 2nd class B438, B728 upper deck, B798 lower deck
Loei to Chiang Mai by Bus
From Loei town center, take a tuk-tuk ride to the bus station, B30. There is only one bus station.
As of June 28, 2020 (still on Covid schedule), there are only 3 night trips: 8:30pm, 9:30pm and 12 midnight. 9 hours, B470.
The bus makes the following stops at the following times from a 9pm Loei departure: Phu Ruea (9:50pm), Phitsanulok (12:40am), Uttradit (2:20am), Lampang (4:35am)
Final bus stop is at the Red Bus Arcade, Chiang Mai, 9 hour-trip, arriving 6am (from 9pm Loei departure).
Take a red songthaew to Old City, B50. They'll try to charge you B100, but they'll take B50 (just assure the driver you won't tell the other passengers).
How to Get a 60-Day Thai Tourist Visa and then Extend by another 30 Days
This process is BEFORE Covid 19. Not sure what it is now.
60-Day Thai Tourist Visa
NOTE: There is no need to go back to your country to get the Thai tourist visa. Any major city with a Thai Embassy will do. Apparently there is also no need to have an invitation from a Thai establishment to justify the visa.
Bring the following to the Thai embassy:
a) proof of money (bank statement will suffice)
b) flight booking to Thailand
c) onward flight back to your country from Thailand
d) filled-in tourist visa form
e) 2 passport pictures
f) hotel booking in Thailand (they didn't ask me for this but better be safe)
g) passport with at least 6 months validity
After handing over all the documents, they will ask you to come pick your passport with the visa the following day from 4 to 5pm. That's it!
NOTE: after 2 successful attempts, I was already questioned the 3rd time.
30-Day Extension
NOTE: When your 60-day visa is close to expiry and you want to extend your stay. No need to leave Thailand.
bring the following to the Immigration Office:
a) passport (make sure your Tourist Visa hasn't expired yet)
b) Baht 1900
c) photocopy of your passport + visa duration date stamp + TM6 card (white immigration card) and sign all the copies
d) completed TM7 visa extension form (available at the Immigration Office)
e) one 4cmx6cm passport picture
submit the above to the Front Desk. They will give you a stub with your number on it. Take a seat and wait for your number to be called
when your number is called, your picture will be taken. Then go back to your seat. They will call you again.
when they call you again, they'll give you your passport with your extended visa. That's it!
when there are no lines, the whole process can take only 10 minutes
arrive early - in case there is a snag (visa snag, documentation snag, transport ticket snag, etc.), you will have ample time to troubleshoot the problem if you arrive early (to the airport, to the bus terminal, etc.)
put detailed itinerary on the Calendar apps of your smart-phone according to timelines - this is where you do all your thinking and planning. Once written down, you don't have to think anymore while you are on the journey...you just follow the steps. This frees your mind for something else that might happen while you are already en route
avoiding scams - as a general rule, I ignore the touts or anyone I don't know who call out to me. The calling comes in many forms - "Hi! Where are you from?", "Excuse me! Excuse me!", "Where are you going?". I don't look them in the eye and I remain non-verbal with them. If you reply to them, you just gave them an 'in' to hound you. In order not to look rude, I smile and wave the 'not interested' hand to them, without looking at them.
power bank - hand-carry your power bank. Do not check it in. You can be called in when you are already inside the plane to go all the way to the loading dock so you can personally remove the power bank...and chances are, you'll have to surrender it to them. And you might delay the plane departure!