Dresden Christmas stollen (Christstollen)

1. The evening before, mix the raisins and candied peel with the rum and leave covered overnight.

2. Dissolve the yeast and a spoonful of sugar in the lukewarm milk, then knead with the flour, remaining sugar, egg, spices, salt and two thirds of the butter to a smooth, fairly firm dough; let rise for 1 hour.

3. Knead in the soaked fruit and the roughly chopped almonds - just enough to distribute them evenly - and rest for another 30 minutes.

4. Roll the dough into an oval, fold one long side over past the middle and shape it into the classic humped stollen; let rise on a lined tray for 30 minutes.

5. Bake in an oven preheated to 170 °C for 55-60 minutes (cover if it browns too quickly); remove any protruding raisins, as they burn.

6. While still hot, brush several times with the remaining melted butter and sprinkle thickly with icing sugar mixed with vanilla sugar; wrap in foil once cool.

Tip: Let it mature in a cool place for at least 2 weeks - the flavours meld and the stollen gets juicier and juicier.