Boy, I had no idea that a small word like "secrets" could spark such
controversy! My purpose in not disclosing all my "secrets" to making
authentic German stollen was to protect my pecuniary interests, as I
make and sell my "secret" stollen on a popular auction site every
Christmas, and I didn't want any competition! So, to all who were
offended that I would not disclose fully any and all secret
ingredients and/or techniques to a list of potentially thousands of
terrific home and commercial bakers, I sincerely apologize. I thought
I was helping out a fellow baker by posting a very good and authentic
recipe (and on which I very heavily base my stollen). And to the
baker who tried the recipe and liked it, I'm very glad you tried it,
and I'm even more glad that you posted your comments!
To the baker who couldn't fit all of the ingredients into her bread
machine, I can only say that I have 2 two-pound loaf machines, and
the recipe as written fits into each of them. If you have only a
one-pound or 1 1/2-pound machine, perhaps you need to scale down the
recipe. If you have a two-pound machine, I suggest adding the fruits
and nuts, not including the raisins, right after the dough forms a
soft mass. When there are about 7 minutes to go before the end of
the kneading cycle, then add the raisins. This gives your machine
some time to incorporate all the ingredients in between additions.
I hope you had a lovely holiday season, and my best wishes for a
happy and prosperous New Year!
Corina