Traditional Christmas Stollen Recipe~ Vegan

Preferably overnight~ soak the fruits with the rum or apple juice Combine the aquafaba, cornstarch and oil together in a small bowl & set aside Whisk the yeast into the warm plant milk and give it a pinch of sugar, let stand 5-10 minutes to frothy~ this “proves” that your yeast is alive & you can use it In a large mixing bowl (or in your electric mixer with the dough hook attachment) combine the flour, spices, zests, sugar, salt, softened vegan butter and the aquafaba mixture and mix by hand o(r on low speed of your electric mixer) to combine evenly Continue mixing to develop the dough about 5 minutes on medium speed with your mixer or 10 minutes by hand. If the dough is still too soft and will not come together to a pliable soft elastic dough, add more flour a tablespoon at a time. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover in a warm spot for about an hour or until almost doubled in size. Drain the fruits & discard the liquid, add this to the dough along with the sliced almonds and knead by hand on a lightly floured surface until all the fruits & nuts are incorporated Divide the dough into 3 equal parts for 3 loaves (OR if you are making the other variations, click through to those recipes now) Divide the almond paste into 3 equal parts and roll each one into a log about 8 inches long (2″ thick log) Roll each piece of dough into a rectangle or football shape and place the log of dough lengthwise not quite center but off to one side of the dough *see video tutorial Fold the dough over the almond paste log and press to seal the dough over each fold. Repeat with the other 2 pieces of dough & almond paste logs Transfer the Stollen Loaves to a parchment lined sheet pan and set in a warm humid spot to rise again Preheat the oven to 350°F once the dough has risen, brush them with aquafaba, then bake for approximately 30-40minutes The breads will be a nice golden brown Remove from the oven and with a skewer or toothpick poke holes in the breads then brush generously with the melted vegan butter Sprinkle a good amount of confectioners sugar over the warm breads with butter Cool, serve or wrap well only when cooled to COLD.