Candied Zest
 
Makes about 1½ cups
Ingredients
  • 2 large navel oranges (650 grams)
  • 2 large lemons (238 grams)
  • 2 cups (480 grams) water
  • 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
  • 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped and reserved
  • ¼ cup (48 grams) vanilla sugar*
Instructions
  1. Using a serrated knife, remove zest from oranges and lemons in 1-inch-long strips. Remove most of pith from zest.
  2. In a medium saucepan, bring zest and cold water to cover to a boil. Drain, and repeat procedure. Pat zest dry, and cut into 1x¼-inch strips.
  3. In same saucepan, bring 2 cups (480 grams) water, granulated sugar, and vanilla bean and reserved seeds to a boil over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved. Add zest; simmer, stirring occasionally, until translucent and tender, about 25 minutes. Let cool in syrup. Strain zest, reserving syrup for another use, if desired. Let zest dry on a wire rack set over a baking sheet for 1 hour.
  4. Toss zest in vanilla sugar; dice zest. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Notes
*We used Heilala Vanilla Pure Vanilla Bean Sugar.
Recipe by Bake from Scratch at https://staging.bakefromscratch.com/traditional-stollen/