Traditional German Stollen

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and butter or line a baking sheet with parchment or a silpat.

In a small saute pan, stir almonds over medium heat until golden and fragrant. Set aside and allow to cool.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in butter until mixture has coarse crumbs. Stir in almonds and fruit.

In a separate bowl, combine ricotta, 1 egg, vanilla and orange extracts. Fold ricotta mixture into flour mixture until just moistened. Move dough to a floured surface and knead for a couple of minutes until it sticks together.
Divide loaf in half and roll each half into an oval. Fold each oval in half.

Place the dough on baking sheet and bake 45-50 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove to a rack to cool completely.

Brush the warm loaves with beaten egg white and dust completely with powdered sugar. If a raw egg scares you, you can use melted butter in place of the egg white before dusting