Cherry Stollen or Cherry Bread Braid Recipe

This recipe is an old family favorite.  Well, it's not a family recipe but it's a family favorite.  My paternal Grandma used to make this for Christmas every year when I was growing up.  A couple years ago I remembered it and asked her for the recipe, we hadn't had it in years.   It was at this point that she mentioned she got it from one of her friends.  I figure I don't care, as far as I'm concerned it's a family tradition now.  Husband and I took over having Christmas at our house a couple of years ago and I have made this a staple. I don't really make it at any other time of the year, but it makes 4 so I always bake two and freeze two.  The reason you are getting this recipe now is because I needed room in the freezer and pulled one out to bake.  I've been in a happy cherry stollen coma for a couple of days.

I don't have pictures of what mine look like, because they do not look great. They test great, appearance is something I'm working on. Instead I've just posted a picture I found online.   In fact, I found a posting for a different braid bread recipe on reliable answers and the photo's show you exactly how to do the dough part.


Stollen or Braid Bread Recipe

Makes 4

Ingredients
1 lb butter, softened (4 sticks) (I ALWAYS use salt free butter when baking)
1 lb smooth cottage cheese *
4 1/2 cups flour
pie filling of your choice (1 can makes 2 stollens, or use fresh fruit)

*I haven't been able to find smooth cottage cheese so I just puree normal cottage cheese until it is smooth

Mix the butter, cottage cheese, and flour together until well mixed.  I have a habit of combining the butter and cottege cheese until well mixed and then adding in the flour.  I'm not sure it matters though.

Divide dough into 4 parts.  Place in the refrigerator until cold or over night.

When you are ready to make the stollens, remove one piece at a time as you don't want it to get too soft.  Roll dough out on parchment paper into an oval shape.  Size depends on you, I always treat it like a pie shell and do about the same thickness.    If you are going to cook right away, it's easier to then place this on a cookie sheet before doing the next step.

Pour fruit down the center of the rolled dough.  Half a can per stollen.  Cut the dough on the sides into strips and twist over the fruit.  If you are going to freeze any of these, now is when you would freeze it (before baking).

Bake at 350 for about 30 min.

Once out of the oven, while still hot, make a thin icing to drizzle on top.  I don't measure this,  I just mix powdered sugar with a bit of vanilla and a tad of milk.  I get the consistency I want and then drizzle.  You don't have to use vanilla, I just love the flavor of it so I always do.