I don't know how I wound up as the one who inherited stollen making from my great-grandmother--it seems to have skipped a couple of generations--but that's what happened. <br /> <br />I've tweaked the original recipe a bit; lemon zest is traditional but I prefer orange, and I like golden raisins better than dark ones, so they're what I use. Nothing wrong with adding a bit of your own tradition, I think. <br /> <br />Note that while you can make this by hand, a stand mixer is strongly recommended unless you have the arms of Hercules. And while regular instant yeast works in this recipe, SAF Gold, or another yeast that's formulated for high-sugar doughs, makes a huge (and positive) difference both in rising time and the texture of the finished product. You can buy it online. <br />You can also divide this recipe to make 4 smaller loaves of 1 1/2 lbs each, which is a nice size for gifting. In this case, start checking them for doneness at 45 minutes to an hour.

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