Friday, December 19, 2008

DIY: Panettone


I probably should be doing something else right now like packing a healthy snack for tomorrow's little ring bearer, or ironing his baby brother's wedding pants. The clock is ticking toward midnight and I'm going to have bags under my eyes and ugly fingernails at tomorrow's family wedding, because instead of being responsible, I am bringing you this panettone.


I just couldn't wait to share this recipe; it was so much fun to make, every step of the way! Translated from Italian and meaning 'big bread', this panettone was a thrill to make at home. Once I had found the right baking mould (thanks to Ares Cuisine $.99 each), I was set. While there's nothing particularly exotic about the ingredients, the process of bringing them together--the lemon zest, the rum-soaked raisins, and all those eggs--was an intoxicating rush for a home baker like me. (and it wasn't because I was sampling the rum, either)


Turns out it was a bit of a photographers dream too...It posed so prettily, even when sliced open to reveal it's creamy interior. This wedge disappeared pretty fast with my cup of tea. Luckily the recipe makes a big batch, so there's some in the freezer for Christmas morning.


Panettone

Adapted from Canadian Living
Servings: 2 large loaves, 24 slices each


1/4 cup (50 ml) brandy or rum
3/4 cup (175 mL) golden raisins

1/2 cup (125 mL) candied mixed peel

1/2 cup (125 mL) candied citron

8-3/4 cups (2.175 L) all-purpose flour (approx)

1 cup (250 mL) granulated sugar

3/4 cup (175 mL) warm milk

2 pkg active dry yeast (or 2 tbsp/25 mL)

6 eggs 6 egg yolks
1 tbsp (15 mL) each grated orange and lemon rind

1 tbsp (15 mL) vanilla
1-1/2 tsp (7 mL) salt

1-1/2 cups (375 mL) unsalted butter, softened

Preparation:
In a glass measuring cup, microwave rum at high for about 20 seconds. Add raisins and let stand until plump, about one hour. Drain and reserve raisins.
In small bowl, combine raisins, candied peel and citron. Add 2 tbsp (25 mL) of the flour; toss to coat. Set aside.
In separate bowl, dissolve 1 tsp (5 mL) of the sugar in warm milk. Sprinkle in yeast; let stand for 10 minutes or until frothy.
Whisk together eggs, egg yolks, orange and lemon rinds and vanilla until combined; stir into milk mixture.
In large bowl, stir together 4 cups (1 L) of the flour, remaining sugar and salt. With wooden spoon, stir in egg mixture all at once. Add butter all at once; stir until blended. Gradually stir in remaining flour to make soft somewhat lumpy dough.
Turn out dough onto lightly floured surface; knead for about 8 minutes or until soft, smooth and elastic, adding up to 1/3 cup (75 mL) more flour if needed. Lightly dust with flour; cover with tea towel and let rest for 5 minutes.
Flatten dough into 15-inch (38 cm) circle; top with raisin mixture. Fold dough over mixture; pinch to seal. Knead for 2 to 3 minutes or until raisin mixture is evenly distributed. Place in large greased bowl, turning to grease all over. Cover with plastic wrap; let rise in warm draft-free place until doubled in bulk, 1-1/2 to 2 hours.


Grease two 2 lb (1 kg) coffee cans or panettone moulds. If using cans, line bottoms and sides with parchment paper to extend 1 inch (2.5 cm) above top; wrap outsides and bottoms with double thickness of foil.
Punch down dough; turn out onto lightly floured surface. Divide in half; roll each into ball. Place, seam side down, in can. Cover and let rise in warm draft-free place until doubled in bulk, about 1-1/2 hours.

With serrated knife, cut X on top of each loaf. Bake on baking sheet on lowest rack of 350ºF (180ºC) oven for about 1 hour or until knife inserted in center comes out clean, covering tops lightly with foil if browning too quickly.
Let cool in cans on rack for 1 hour. Remove from cans by gently pulling paper; let cool completely on rack.


Tip: Baking panettone in a variety of can sizes is not traditional but does allow you to share some of this splendid treat with those at the top of your gift list. For small panettone, use 10 to 28 oz (284 to 796 mL) cans. Make ball of dough small enough to fill can just under halfway. Let rise as in recipe; bake for 30 to 40 minutes.

19 comments:

Cherie said...

Georgeous panettone! I'm sure it was worth all the work.

Anonymous said...

I love the idea of making your own panettone, so you can include the fruits you like and leave out the ones you don't. I'm not a rum person, so I'd probably soak fruits in orange juice instead. This will be a lovely treat on Christmas morning!

Anna Sanclement said...

Great Blog! I saw it advertised on P&N Magazine and just had to take a peek! Nice work.

Michele Humes said...

I love panettone, and always thought everyone else did. And then I posted this thing on Serious Eats - http://www.seriouseats.com/2008/12/is-panettone-the-new-fruitcake.html - and it turns out the item is not so universally loved after all. Yours look SO beautiful!

RecipeGirl said...

Beautiful! I'm glad to hear that it was fun to make. I've always wanted to make this.

La Cuisine d'Helene said...

This turned out beautiful. Merry Xmas!

Culinary Wannabe said...

So impressive! I'm actually making a bread pudding tonight with Panettone - but I'm sure my store bought version isn't half as good as yours!!

Anonymous said...

I've always heard of panettone but never tried it myself! I love how perfect yours look, particularly that wedge. Thanks for sharing; I'll definitely give this a try! :)

LyB said...

Oh, so beautiful! I so want to make Panettone but I've never seen those molds. Well, at least now I have a tried and true recipe. :) Thanks for sharing it, Aimée!

Anonymous said...

wow you are baking a day before the wedding !!! I took 2 months off for a wedding ! Hats off to you girl :) The panettone looks fab !

Anonymous said...

Lovely ! I cant wait to try it but i want to know whats an alternative to using Rum..

-Ruh

Anonymous said...

Anything non-alcoholic..
-Ruh

Y said...

I adore panettone. Thanks for sharing the recipe - can't wait to make it when I get some free time!

Anonymous said...

Just found your blog through tastespotting... Your panettone is so beautiful. I just baked one for Christmas myself :)

Danielle said...

Thanks for this recipe! Made it for my Italian stepdad for Christmas - definitely a hit! Had trouble finding candied citrus, so just used zest from 1 lemon & one orange (may increase that next time). Rich, buttery, and not too sweet - yum!

Unknown said...

Awesome looking Panettone...On your next endeavor try adding a little orange blossom extract, it will take you to the next level...

sexy said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Tiffany Rieder said...

I love panettone and it never dawned on me to make it. I will try this recipe. I know its traditionally made around christmas but at friends recently we had a good quality store bought one cut into cubes for chocolate fondue...I am not a big fan of fondue but OMG it was good. It had confit pears in it. It was the same night I ate kangaroo for the first time (quiet beefey). We enjoyed asking each other to pass the skippy!

الملتقى said...


يبحث الكثير من الأشخاص المتصلين بالإنترنت عن شركة تصميم تطبيقات أو شركة برمجة تطبيقات لتصميم وبرمجة تطبيقات
أحدهما فقط ، بحيث يدرك التطبيق أفكار العميل سواء كانت أفكارًا جديدة ومبتكرة أو تم تنفيذها من قبل اندرويد وايفون
لذا فالشعبية الهائلة للهواتف الذكية والتطبيقات. استثمر العديد من الشركات في أفكار التصميم والبرمجة الأصلية القائمة على تطبيقات الهاتف المحمول. هناك العديد من شركات تصميم تطبيقات الهاتف المحمول ، لكن القليل منها هو الأفضل دون ارتكاب أخطاء. عملية تصميم التطبيق ليست معقدة كما يعتقد البعض ، فقط في حالة التنفيذ. بناء على قواعد وأسس التصميم والبرمجة.
تعتبر شركة الملتقى افضل شركة تصميم تطبيقات الجوال
تصميم تطبيقات الجوال

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