Around the holidays, I enjoy eating panettone, which is the
only time of year I can find it. What if
I want some at another time? Or, I want
to select different ingredients? Or, eIiminate
additives or preservatives? I searched
for possible recipes so I could bake my own whenever I chose. I came across this recipe from King ArthurBaking Company, checked out the comment section, then proceeded to bake my
version. The biggest complaint was that
it was dry, but I solved that problem by soaking the dried fruit ahead of time. The first time I made this bread, I soaked
the fruit in boiling water before adding it to the dough. This time, I did an
overnight soak, then, drained the fruit before adding it. Both times I had a nice, moist bread, so I
believe that’s the key. While I used the
specified fruits for this loaf, I would like to play around with other
ingredients, specifically finely chopped chocolate, perhaps, with some dried
sour cherries. The combinations are
many. I suppose one could even omit the
fruit, maybe add chopped nuts?
A few tips:
If you’re not using the traditional panettone papers, I
would recommend lining the pan with a piece of parchment; certainly, for the
bottom and possibly for the sides.
(That’s my next iteration.)
You can also choose to make individual panettones, baking
them in muffin tins or individual papers, using about 3 ounces of dough in each
cup. The baking time would probably
change as well for the small ones.
Leftover slices freeze well. I also have a recipe for a simple bread
pudding, using only three ingredients (panettone, eggnog, and, eggs), well worth
having leftovers.
If you own Peter Reinhart’s, The Bread Baker’s Apprentice, you can find his version of panettone
using a wild-yeast sponge, as well as helpful guidelines. It’s a little more
complex than this recipe, but still good.
Overnight Panettone
This traditional
Italian holiday bread will stay fresh longer when it's made with an overnight
starter.
Prep: 20 mins
Bake: 45 mins
Total: 13 hrs 20
mins
Yield: 1 large
loaf
Bake in 2 quart sauce pan
Ingredients
Starter
Dough
- all
of the starter (above)
- 2 1/4
cups (270g) King
Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- 1/4
cup (57g) lukewarm water
- 2
large eggs
- 4
tablespoons (57g) butter, softened
- 1/2
teaspoon Fiori
di Sicilia flavoring OR 1 teaspoon vanilla +
1/8 teaspoon orange
oil
- 2 1/4
teaspoons SAF
Gold instant yeast or 1 tablespoon instant
yeast
- 1 1/4
teaspoons (8g) salt
- 1/3
cup (67g) granulated sugar
- 1/2
cup (85g) golden raisins
- 1/2
cup (64g) slivered dried apricots
- 1/2
cup (85g) dried cranberries
- 1/2
cup (71g) chopped dried pineapple
- 2
tablespoons (28g) orange zest (grated rind) or lemon zest (grated rind)
Instructions
1.
To make the starter: Weigh your
flour; or measure it by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any
excess. Combine the starter ingredients in a medium-sized mixing bowl, cover,
and allow them to rest overnight (8 to 12 hours).
2.
To make the dough: Combine all
of the dough ingredients except the fruit and zest, and mix and knead them
together — by hand, mixer or bread machine — until you've made a soft, smooth
dough.
3.
Allow the dough to rise, covered, for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until
it's puffy (though not necessarily doubled in bulk).
4.
Gently deflate the dough, and knead in the fruits and zest. (Soak fruits in hot/boiling water to soften. Drain before
adding them)
5.
Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a panettone pan or
other straight-sided, tall 1 1/2- to 2-quart pan. Cover the pan and let the
dough rise until it's just crested over the rim of the pan, about 1 hour. (Helpful to line the
pan.)
6.
Bake the bread in a preheated 400°F oven for 10 minutes; reduce
the oven heat to 375°F and bake an additional 10 minutes; then reduce the heat
to 350°F and bake for 25 to 35 minutes, tenting with aluminum foil if the crust
appears to be browning too quickly. Panettone should be a deep brown when done,
should sound hollow when tapped, and will read 190°F at the center using a
digital thermometer. (It's easy to underbake, since it browns so quickly!)
7.
Remove the panettone from the oven and cool completely. Store at
room temperature, well-wrapped, for up to a week; freeze for longer storage.
This month, I am the lucky baker who is Kitchen of the Month for
the Bread Baking Babes. I’m excited to
see what version each baker chose, so be sure to visit their websites.
