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Friday, April 20, 2012

Panettone


The Panettone is a sweet bread eaten all overA sweet bread eaten all over Italy at Christmas. Making one is not as hard as it seems, and the results are delicious.

Ingredients:
1½ tsp dried yeast
1 cup milk
¼ cup sugar
31⁄4 cups bread flour, plus extra
for dusting
½ tsp salt
5 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs, plus 1 small egg
at room temperature, beaten
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup (6oz) mixed dried fruit
(cranberries, apricots, golden
raisins, and mixed citrus peel),
chopped
finely grated zest of 1 orange
vegetable oil, for greasing
confectioner’s sugar, for dusting

1 Add the yeast to the warm milk in a jug. Mix the sugar, flour, and salt in a large bowl.

2 Once the yeasted milk is frothy (5 minutes), whisk in the butter, large eggs, and vanilla.

3 Mix the liquid and dry ingredients to form a soft dough; it will be stickier than bread dough.

4 On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough for about 10 minutes until elastic.

5 Form the dough into a loose ball and stretch it out flat onto a floured work surface.

6 Scatter the dried fruit and orange zest on top and knead again until well combined.

7 Form the dough into a loose ball and put it in a lightly oiled bowl

8 Cover the bowl with a damp, clean kitchen towel or place inside a large plastic bag.

9 Leave the dough to rise in a warm place for up to 2 hours, until doubled in size.

10 Line the pan with a double layer of parchment paper, or a layer of silicone paper.

11 If using a cake pan, form a collar with the paper, 2–4in (5–10cm) higher than the pan.

12 Knock the air out of the dough with your fist and turn out onto a lightly floured surface.

13 Knead the dough into a round ball just big enough to fit into the pan.

14 Put it into the pan, cover, and leave to rise for another 2 hours, until doubled in size.

15 Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Brush the top of the dough with egg wash.

16 Bake in the middle of the oven for 40–45 minutes. If it’s browning fast, cover with foil.

17 The bottom will sound hollow when ready. Leave to cool for 5 minutes, then turn out.

18 Remove the parchment paper and cool completely on a wire rack before dusting with confectioner’s sugar to serve. STORE The panettone will keep in an airtight container for 2 days.

Panettone Recipe