1. Chop the dried fruits and nuts finely. Add the zest of a lemon, the lemon juice and rum (or orange juice) and mix until well combined. Cover and let rest overnight.

2. Sift the flour into a large bowl. Make a hole in the middle, crumble the fresh yeast and add along with the tablespoon sugar and the lukewarm milk and mix until the yeast is dissolved. Add the sugar on top of the flour around the hole. Add the butter in small pieces on top of the sugar. Cover all with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes.

3. Knead all ingredients to a smooth dough – it should come off easily from the bottom of the bowl. Add the dried fruits/nuts and knead in with your hands until all is well combined. Cover again and let rest for another 30 minutes in a warm place.

4. Preheat the oven to 390˚F (200°C). Grease the glass jars and sprinkle with the ground hazelnuts (almonds). Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces and fill it into the prepared glass jars (the jars should be only 3/4 full). Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes. Take them out of the oven and add the melted butter on top. Dust with confectioner’s sugar and close the jars immediately. Let cool on a wire rack. The stollen should stay in the closed jars for 2 weeks to develop all flavors – after that, they should be eaten within 2 more weeks.