Cherry & almond stollen

1. Sift the flour, salt and spice into a bowl, and rub in the butter. Stir in the sugar and yeast. Make a well in the centre and add the egg and milk to make a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface and knead for 5-6 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, cover and leave for 20 minutes.

2. Knock back the dough and lightly knead on a floured surface for 2-3 minutes, then knead in the dried cherries and almonds. Roll out into a rectangle 23x18cm, then roll the marzipan into an 18x5cm cylinder. Place the marzipan in the centre of the dough lengthways. Fold the excess dough over the marzipan, so that the edges just overlap, and seal well.

3. Place seamside down on a greased baking tray, cover with oiled clingfilm and leave to rise in a warm place for approximately 1 hour or until doubled in size.

4. Preheat the oven to 180°C, gas mark 4. Bake the stollen for 35-40 minutes or until it sounds hollow when tapped on the base (cover with foil during cooking if it is browning too quickly). Brush the warm stollen with melted butter and dust very generously with icing sugar. Cool on a wire rack. Best eaten warm on the day
it is baked.