Christmas Stollen

Ingredients

• 1 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp brandy
• 3 large eggs at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar, divided
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 16 Tbsp unsalted butter, divided
• 1 cup roughly chopped walnuts
• FOR THE BRANDIED FRUIT
• ¾ cup yellow raisins (sultanas)
• ½ cup black seedless raisins
• ½ cup dried currants OR dried blueberries
• ½ cup finely diced dried pineapple OR candied orange or lemon peel
• FOR THE BREAD
• Three individual packets (a bit more than 2 Tbsp) active dried yeast
• 1 cup warm water, divided
• ¼ cup dried milk powder (non-fat or whole is fine)
• Finely-grated zest of one lemon
• Finely-grated zest of one orange
• 6 to 6 ½ cups unbleached flour
• ½ cup marzipan (almond paste) cut into pieces
• 1 cup confectioner’s sugar45