Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2012

Panettone

In case you didn’t know, Panettone is an Italian sweet bread.  You should definitely make this bread for Christmas…..I can’t believe it’s so close-less than 2 weeks away!  Life will be less hectic soon.  I FINALLY finished a 16 month course for work and have one day left in the position I was filling temporarily.  It will be weird going back into my ‘regular’ routine.  Nonetheless, I am eagerly anticipating more days in the kitchenJ

The first time I tried Panettone was approximately 5 years ago.  Gavin’s mom, Ellen uses it her bread pudding.  I have the fondest memories this dessert.  I’ve been meaning to make Panettone for a couple years now, but never found the time.  I am so glad I finally got to make this…so worth the effort.  The bread is soft, sweet, and best served warm.  I prefer mine with tea, but it’s tasty by itself.  Just another treat to add to your Christmas baking list!:)

Panettone

Makes 2 large Panettones or 12 individual.

INGREDIENTS

For the day before:

1 ¼ cup all purpose flour

¾ cup warm water

¼ teaspoon instant yeast

Day of:

¾ cup butter, softened

¼ cup granulated sugar

1 egg

2 egg yolks

1 tablespoon vanilla

¾ cup buttermilk

3-3 ½ cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon instant yeast

1 tablespoon orange zest

1 ½ cup raisins

DIRECTIONS

For the night before:

Combine the night before ingredients together with a wooden spoon. Cover with plastic wrap, set aside 15-20 hours in a cool, dry area.

For the day of:

Beat together the butter and sugar until smooth. Add in the egg and yolks and beat until well combined. Add to the night before mixture and beat until smooth.

Stir in the vanilla and buttermilk into the mixture until fully incorporated. Add in the 2 cups of flour and salt, mix well. Stir in the instant yeast and orange zest. Allow to rest uncovered for 20 minutes. Add ½ cup of flour on a flat surface and pour the dough mixture onto the flour. Add ¼ cup on top of the dough and knead for 8-10 minutes, add flour slowly as needed (the dough should be on the sticky side). Knead in the raisins.

Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and coat all sides. Cover with plastic wrap and rise for two hours in a cool area.

Using two 1 ½ qt round casserole dishes or two 6 cup molten lava tins (if you are making individual panettones). Spray the container with oil spray to help hold parchment paper to the sides. Cut the paper to fit the bottom of the sides.  If you are making individual panettones, cut 12 equal pieces. For the larger panettones, cut 2 equal pieces and shape into balls, placing into prepared containers. Cover with plastic wrap and rise for 1 ½ to 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees about 50-55 minutes (for the large panettones) and 20-25 minutes for the individual panettones.

Remove from pans and cool on a wire rack.

Source: adapted from The Knead for Bread