Panettone Recipe
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 2-3 day project
Cooking time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Makes 1.4kg panettone
- 250g/8.8ozs. dried fruit (citron, raisins)
- 500g/1.1lbs bread flour*
- 1/2 cup/125ml/4flozs milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 5 eggs, room temperature (large eggs)
- 150g/5ozs. caster or superfine sugar
- 1 tablespoon instant dried yeast
- 250g/8.8ozs. softened butter, cut into cubes
- 1 egg yolk mixed with 1 teaspoon water for glazing
- Pearl sugar to sprinkle on top (or you can use regular sugar)
For panettone's tall structure you do need at least a medium protein flour with 10% protein. This is called baker's flour or bread and pizza flour and can be found at the supermarket and at specialty stores.
Sourdough instructions: If you are using sourdough, start this the night before, 3 days ahead. Mix 50g/1.7ozs starter, 50g/1.7ozs bread flour and 50g/1.7ozs water to make a levain. Then use this 150g levain instead of yeast.
Step 1 - First soak the fruit in hot water. Cover and set aside.
Step 2 - Take 1/6 cup of the total weight of flour and whisk with the milk, vanilla and salt in a small saucepan. Heat on a low medium heat and switch to a silicon spatula. Stir to make a roux until it reaches 65C/149F. Remove from the heat and whisk in the eggs.
Step 3 - In a mixer fitted with a dough attachment add the remaining flour, sugar and yeast and mix to combine. Then add the tangzhong roux to this and mix to combine. It will be a hot mess. Don't worry.
Step 4 - Set this to knead for 10-12 minutes on low speed. Then add the butter a few cubes at a time increasing the speed to a bit higher (say 4 out of 10 where 10 is maximum speed). You do this to work the gluten and knead it for up to 20 minutes until the butter is well combined and the dough pulls away from the sides.
Step 5 - Grease a very large bowl and scoop this very wet and sticky mixture into the bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight (or for 2 nights where it will develop an even better flavour if you have time).
Step 6 - The next day drain the dried fruit well. Then take the dough out of the fridge and flour a surface. Roll out the dough to a rectangle around 20x30cms/8x12 inches. Spread the fruit across the dough leaving a 1 inch border and then roll the dough up from the shorter end. Press down on the dough and then fold into thirds where you will end up with a square.
Step 7 - Flour the surface again as it will start to warm up and it is very buttery, and then shape it into a ball making sure there are no cracks on top.
Step 8 - Spray the panettone mould with oil and place the dough inside it. Brush with the egg yolk glaze and allow to rise for 3 hours. I went out Christmas shopping and it had already extended beyond the collar. Score the top with an X with a sharp knife cutting it to the edges and then glaze again with egg and then sprinkle with the pearl sugar.
Step 9 - Bake in a 160C/320F oven for 30 minutes. Then cover with a sheet of oiled foil and bake for another 45 minutes. As soon as it is out of the oven, stick two long skewers in the base of the panettone and then hang upside down (I hung it between two chairs) and allow it to cool completely.
Crema di Mascarpone
- 250g/8.8ozs. mascarpone
- 1/4 cup/30g/1oz. icing or powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoons finely diced candied peel or vanilla
Step 1 - Whisk the icing sugar with the mascarpone and stir in the candied peel or vanilla.
Personal Note
Do you know the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon or the frequency illusion where you think you hear about something all the time because it is front of your mind? Well this year definitely felt like The Year of the Panettone. Everyone was talking about it. Or so it felt like it to me.
My friend Carm is selling and delivering fancy panettones from Dolce & Gabbana and she gifted me a massive panettone as well as a baby one that we will eat at Christmas. When she came by to deliver it I was about to embark on my home made panettone quest and asked her for advice on how to make panettone.
"My best advice, BUY ONE," she said laughing.
Only the less foolish would listen. Happy year of the panettone!
So tell me Dear Reader, how do you feel about panettone? Have you ever made one?