Christmas Stollen Sweet Bread

Gather the ingredients. ​The Spruce Eats / Katarina Zunic In large bowl, mix together the water and yeast. ​The Spruce Eats / Katarina Zunic Add milk, eggs, soft butter, sugar, salt, and lemon and stir. ​The Spruce Eats / Katarina Zunic Add 3 cups of the flour and mix well. Slowly add in remaining flour, enough flour to make a dough that follows the spoon around the bowl. ​The Spruce Eats / Katarina Zunic Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes, adding more flour as needed until the dough is soft and smooth to the touch. ​The Spruce Eats / Katarina Zunic Place dough in large greased bowl. Turn dough over in bowl so that the top is also lightly greased. Cover with clean cloth and let rise in warm, draft-free place for 1 hour or until doubled in size. ​The Spruce Eats / Katarina Zunic Punch down dough. ​The Spruce Eats / Katarina Zunic Turn dough out onto lightly floured board and knead in candied fruit and almonds for 4 minutes or until the bubbles are out of the bread. ​The Spruce Eats / Katarina Zunic Divide dough in half for two small loaves, if desired. Pat dough into a 1 1/2-inch thick oval. Fold in half. Set folded loaf on greased baking sheet and repeat with second half if you are making small loaves. ​The Spruce Eats / Katarina Zunic Brush loaf or loaves with melted butter. Cover and let rise in warm, draft-free place for 45 minutes or until doubled in size. ​The Spruce Eats / Katarina Zunic Bake loaf at 375 F for 35 minutes or until the breads are golden brown. ​The Spruce Eats / Katarina Zunic Remove loaves from sheet and let cool on rack. ​The Spruce Eats / Katarina Zunic In small bowl, mix together confectioner's sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla. ​The Spruce Eats / Katarina Zunic Put frosting on bread. Allow to set for 15 minutes. ​The Spruce Eats / Katarina Zunic Serve and enjoy! ​The Spruce Eats / Katarina Zunic