Master of stollen

You would not believe how good the stollen at Frieda’s Bakery in Madeira is! I thought stollen was some kind of bread, but the way Armin Hack makes it (according to a recipe that has been passed down in his German family through four generations of master bakers) it’s very buttery-rich, like pastry or a big cookie, wrapped around marzipan and dried fruit and nuts. Wonderful. So old-world, so buttery, so festive. . . . I wish my life included some kind of afternoon tea ritual, because it would be perfect with that. It's $12 and they have it until Christmas, and then again at Easter. They also have schnecken, very much like the revived Virginia Bakery schnecken that Busken's is selling.