Stollen Pleasures

This is a holiday bread that will let you savor the season without adding more than a gram of fat to your diet. It’s a sort of low-fat stollen. We use egg substitute to keep the fat count down. A very small amount of butter is brushed over the tops of the loaves for flavor.

To eliminate last-minute steps, you can prepare the recipe up to two weeks in advance. Serve one loaf hot from the oven and freeze the second loaf to have on hand for breakfast Christmas morning. Wrap the bread tightly in foil before freezing. Heat in a low oven to warm before serving, then sprinkle with powdered sugar.

CHRISTMAS BREAD

1 cup nonfat milk

1/2 cup sugar

2 envelopes yeast

1/2 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees)

1/2 cup nonfat egg substitute (equivalent to 2 eggs)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

5 to 6 cups flour

Grated zest 1 lemon

1 cup mixed candied fruit

1 cup golden raisins

1 tablespoon butter, melted

Powdered sugar

Red candied pineapple

Heat milk and sugar in saucepan to scalding, then cool to lukewarm. Combine yeast and warm water in mixing bowl, stirring until yeast is dissolved. Add cooled milk mixture to yeast mixture in mixing bowl. Stir in egg substitute, vanilla and salt. Beat in 3 cups of flour and lemon zest. Beat in remaining flour to make soft dough.

Knead in mixed candied fruit and raisins. Knead about 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic.

Put dough in greased bowl and let rise in warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Punch down. Divide dough in half. Roll first half of dough on lightly floured surface into oval about 1/4-inch thick. Fold in half lengthwise. Place on greased baking sheet. Brush with half of melted butter. Repeat with second half of dough.

Cover loaves and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool to warm. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and decorate with candied pineapple or cherries. Makes 2 loaves, or 16 servings.

Each serving contains about:

226 calories; 265 mg sodium; 2 mg cholesterol; 1 gram fat; 48 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams protein; 0.41 gram fiber.

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