A late entry. For Christmas I made stollen with a recipe that looked like it would produce something close to what I know from The Netherlands.

Dutch Regale's Almond/Rum Stollen

My wife and I learned how to make fruit-filled ciabatta when we took Harry Peemoeller's artisan bread class at Johnson & Wales in Charlotte.  We decided to make it at home this weekend.  Instead of all white flour, we used some spelt flour in the biga.  We added chocolate chips, figs, dates, raisins, pecans and cranberries to the dough.  We let the final dough proof in the refrigerator overnight, and baked the shaped loaves in the morning.  This is a great bread for the holidays.  We made a large batch to give as gifts to friends.  For anyone interested, here's a link to