German Stollen Recipe

In a large bowl, combine 3 cups flour, 1 cup sugar, yeast and salt. In a saucepan, heat the milk and 1-1/2 cups butter to 120°-130°. Add to dry ingredients; beat just until moistened. Beat in eggs until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Add the almond extract, lemon peel and rum extract if desired. Stir in the almonds, cherries, candied lemon and orange peel and raisins (dough will be slightly sticky). Turn onto a heavily floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until almost doubled, about 1-1/2 hours. Punch dough down; turn onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into thirds. Roll each portion into a 15-in. x 8-in. oval. Melt remaining butter. Brush each oval with 1 tablespoon butter and sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of the remaining sugar. Fold a long side of oval to within 1/2 in. of the opposite side; press edges lightly to seal. Place in parchment-lined or lightly greased baking sheets. Curve ends slightly. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Brush with remaining melted butter; remove from pans to wire racks to cool. Combine the glaze ingredients; drizzle over stollen. Yield: 3 loaves (12 slices each).