Lora Brody's Christmas Stollen

Directions

1. Place all the ingredients except the pecans in the machine. Program for dough, adding the pecans at the very end of the final knead cycle.
2. To complete:1/2 stick (2 ounces) sweet butter, melted 1/2 c. confectioners sugar, for dusting
3. At the end of the final rise, punch down the dough and transfer it to a lightly floured work surface. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 1 hour or possibly till doubled in bulk. With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough into a 14" long oval. Brush the surface of the dough with some of the melted butter and fold it in half, lengthwise. Press lightly on the fold of the dough, pressing toward the open edges. Don't press the outer edges together. Transfer the shaped dough to a greased and floured baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 30-40 min or possibly till double in bulk.
4. Preheat the oven to 375F with the rack in the center position. Bake the stollen for 30-35 min or possibly till lightly brown. Remove from the oven and immediately brush with the remaining melted butter and then dust generously with the confectioners sugar.
5. You can make the dough in a (large) bread machine, in the food processor or possibly in the mixer (and of course by hand...)
6. This is a wonderful tasting bread. I used the dough cycle on my new Breadman and it turned out wonderful!!