Christmas Stollen

1 Tbsp yeast is just fine for the amount of flour given. Use only 1 tsp sugar when proofing the yeast. Add the rest to the flour as you make the bread. Don't add all the flour at once. Start with 2 cups, mix well, add another cup, and then slowly, if needed, add 1 Tbsp flour until dough is smooth and elastic. A bit tacky is better than too dry. I suspect those whose bread did not rise used too much flour. Make sure your milk is only lukewarm. Too hot will kill the yeast.

Oops!..I meant..to much sugar will kill yeast..

here is what worked..1/4tsp sugar, 1/4c water, 1 pkg. yeast.Proof 8 min. Add 1/4c milk & 1/4c sugar when mixing ingred. 1st rise 2 hrs.(stollen will not double in size) 2nd rise 1 hr. Delicious! I did my research, to much yeast kills yeast..1/4c is way to much.

I, too was disappointed that the stollen didn't rise very much. I thought that the warm place I used for rising was too warm and might have killed the yeast. But it's reassuring to hear that other cooks had this problem. I usually make stollen from a combination of Joy of Cooking and my German mother's recipe. For 6-8 cups of flour they use 2 cakes of compressed yeast. No rising problems encountered. I'll try this again with 2 pkgs. of yeast. The flavor was terrific, just didn't look too great!

Hint: use a very warm place to rise the dough. (It would not rise at normal temperature where I usually rise dough.) I used my oven that has a pilot light. With the door slightly open, I estimate the temperature was over 100 degrees. It was my best stollen ever.

I made this 2x's because the 1st didn't rise at all, & my yeast was active. Followed this recipe to a T. A HUGE WASTE of ingred's. I think the yeast should be 2 pkgs.,not 1. Anyone else try this? Very, very disappointed.