How to make
Warm the milk and gently mix it in a bowl with the yeast and 1 teaspoon of sugar. Stir the blend and leave it for a few minutes until it becomes effervescent.
In another large bowl, sieve the flour with salt, add the sugar, spices and vanilla. Mix well, while making a well in the middle and adding the cooled butter, milk and yeast. Knead the dough, transfer it onto a floured surface and spread it out with your palms.
To the dough, add the drained raisins, almonds, and then the finely chopped candied cherries, orange and lemon zests. The dough is kneaded until the ingredients are evenly distributed. Put it in a large bowl coated with oil, cover with foil and allow it to rise for 2 1/2 hours.
Once the dough doubles in volume, remove it from the bowl and knead again. Spread it out on a lightly floured surface, shape into an oval and in the middle, put pieces of marzipan. Marzipan is sold in larger supermarkets.
Shape the stollen by grasping one end and folding it toward the opposite, to cover the marzipan. Stick both ends together and put the shaped stollen in a greased tray. Cover with a cloth, and allow it to rise again for about 1 hour. Then cover with pieces of aluminum foil, to prevent it from burning, and put to bake for about 1 hour in a preheated 360°F (180 °C) oven.
After removing it from the oven, smear it with melted butter while still warm. Sprinkle it with plenty of powdered sugar and leave it to cool. Wrap the cooled stollen well in foil, place in a plastic bag or box and store in a cool place for a long while.
Prior to serving, sprinkle it with powdered sugar.
