German Christmas Stollen

Basic recipe:
Soak dried fruit & nuts overnight in rum
you can soak in orange juice and use flavored rum
or not soak at all.
I used a ratio of 4:1 fruit to nuts
400g dried fruit of your choice (Raisins, currants, cranberries, cherries, pine apple, orange peel, citrus peel, of your choice)
100 g nuts (almond, walnut, pecans etc)

500g flour
42g fresh yeast (16g dried yeast)
80g sugar
150ml warm milk
150g butter 1 egg
2 tsp salt
(Marzipan - OPTIONAL)

Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk with some of the sugar and flour and set aside for a few minutes.
mix flour, butter, sugar, egg and salt.
Add the yeast and milk mixture and knead until it all comes together.
Add the well drained fruit.
At this stage you can add extra flour so it is not too sticky.
Roll into a ball and let it sit 30 min.
This dough will NOT double in size.
Flatten dough out to about 3/4 to 1 inch thick in a rectangular shape.
If you add marzipan, add it as a roll a little off center on the dough.
Fold dough around and over the roll of Marzipan.
Press down edges to seal in the string of marzipan.
Let sit for 30 min.
Bake at 350F for 1 hr.
Poke holes in the hot loaves with a fork, and pour 1/2 stick of hot melted butter all over the loaf.
Roll the loaf in powdered sugar, then top off with another heap of powdered sugar.
You can wrap and freeze, eat, or save it for Christmas - it develops flavor in 4 weeks. This is why they are baked in November traditionally.