it’s xmas – it’s panettone time!

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This season I decided to bake my 1st panettone. My inspiration came from Meike Peters’ 365 giving me a basic recipe to start with. Of course I made some changes – mainly, I didn’t work w/ grated orange zest & chocolate, but w/ vanilla extract & a mix of raisins & candied orange & lemon peel.

 

For the record:
It is a panettone based on yeast dough. I learnt from Wikipedia that panettone is a trade mark & that its production is defined in detail. One of the details says: start w/ sourdough. Never mind: it’s only home-made & for domestic use.

 

Above there is my panettone once cut in the middle … I used a 18 cm spring form: so the base is 18 cm. It’s almost square … Why do I insist on the size? It is rather large, very airy & fluffy. The yeast carried out its duty. You may admire the fluffiness even more when realising how big the chunk is.

 

 

Although living in Germany where the classic Xmas pastry is stollen I think that panettone is on the rise. Compared to stollen it’s a fluffy pastry to be eaten any time of the day (my recommendation!), pure or w/ butter (also my recommendation!) … In short: often I prefer some panettone to a heavy slice of stollen.

Let’s start!

What do we need? (except of time …)

It’s not so much; I gathered the ingredients according to the process.

 

 

We need:

  • flour, sugar, salt, dry yeast & a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
  • lukewarm milk & vanilla extract
  • molten butter at room temperature
  • eggs resp. egg yolks
  • raisins, candied orange & lemon peel.

 

1st step:
Whisk together lukewarm milk, vanilla extract, molten butter & egg yolks until fluffy. Use your handheld electric mixer … (beater).

 

 

2nd step:
Mix the flour mess.

3rd step:
Add the liquid mess to the flour mix.

 

 

4th step:
Grab your handheld electric mixer (dough hooks) & … until all is smoothly incorporated.

Now cover the bowl w/ a tea towel, set it in the oven, start the oven at 50 °C for about 2 min – then let it rest for about 90 min.

 

 

When the 1st rise is done grab a springform; I used my 18 cm springform. Butter it & line it w/ baking parchment. Add enough baking parchment to form an edge of about 15-20 cm. Butter the baking parchment.

 

 

This is the result of the 1st oven session!
(The bowl is underneath!)

 

 

Let the air escape & add the raisins & the candied orange & lemon peel. Mix & knead w/ your hands until well incorporated. It’s rather sticky …

 

 

Then put the sticky mess in the prepared springform.

Now we do it again:
Cover the springform w/ a tea towel, set it in the oven, start the oven at 50 °C for about 2 min – then let it rest for about 60 min.

 

 

This is the result of the 2nd oven session … I already had cut a cross in the surface.

Until this moment about 3 h have gone!

 

 

Preheat the oven to 200 °C w/ fan. Then put the panettone in the oven. After 10 min reduce the temperature to 180 °C. After another 30 min reduce it to 160 °C. 10 min later it’s fine. (So said the recipe!)

The panettone is a little dark … When starting w/ 200 °C I watched the panettone & realized that my oven at 200 °C is far too powerful. So I reduced the temperature at once to 180 °C & covered the surface w/ some aluminium foil. I also reduced to 160 °C rather soon.

 

For the record:
When baking my next panettone I’ll definitely start w/ 180 °C & reduce to 160 °C and 150 °C respectively. In the cookbook the author also reminds us to watch the panettone & take care of the oven temperature. I recommend strongly to think about the power of your oven before starting. (I admit that I forgot … although my oven works always brilliantly at about 160 °C when baking …)

 

 

Fortunately the heat didn’t destroy the panettone. It is fluffy & airy w/ a dark crust, however, the crust isn’t burnt.

In short: it’s delicious & great!

 

 

Enjoy!

 

it's xmas - it's panettone time!
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time50 minutes
Servings: 16 slices
ingredients:
  • 500 g all-purpose flour
  • 14 g dry yeast (2 packets)
  • 100 g sugar
  • ½ tsp salt
  • a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 225 ml milk (lukewarm)
  • 170 g butter (molten - cooled down to room temperature)
  • 5 egg yolks
  • 40 g raisins
  • 40 g candied orange peel
  • 40 g candied lemon peel
  • some butter (for the spring form)
equipment:
  • springform (18 cm)
  • handheld electric mixer
  • baking parchment (! for the height of the panettone !)
how to:
  • Mix flour, dry yeast, sugar, salt & freshly grated nutmeg in a bowl. Use a bowl large enough (bacause of the rise of teh dough later)!
  • Whip lukewarm milk, molten butter, egg yolks & vanilla extract w/ your handheld electric mixer (beater) until fluffy.
  • Combine flour mix w/ the fluffy mess & mix w/ your handheld electric mixer (dough hooks) until well incorporated & smooth.
  • Cover the bowl w/ a tea towel & put it in the oven. Start the oven for about 2 min at 50 °C - then stop the heating & let the dough rest for 90 min. Don't open the door! Afterwards the dough has doubled in volume (approximately).
  • Butter the spring form & line w/ baking parchment. At the egde the baking parchment has to be about 5-10 cm higher than the spring form. Butter the baking parchment, too.
  • Add the raisins & the candied orange & lemon peel & mix & knead w/ your hands. It's sticky. Some air will escape & reduce the volume.
  • Fill the dough in the prepared spring form, cover it w/ a tea towel & put it back in the oven. Start the oven for about 2 min at 50 °C - then stop the heating & let the dough rest for another 60 min. Once again. Don't open the door! Afterwards the dough has again doubled in volume (approximately).
  • Take the spring form out of the oven, remove the tea towel & cut a cross in the surface.
  • Preheat the oven to 180-200 °C w/ fan.
  • Let the panettone bake for 10 min at 180-200 °C; then reduce to 160-180 °C & let it bake for 30 min. Finally reduce to 150-160 °C & let it bake for another 10 min.
  • Make the famous test w/ the wooden pin ... It should come out clean!
  • Watch the panettone while in the oven: if it gets to dark cover the panettone w/ some aluminium foil. (I did!)
  • Let the panettone cool down for at least 30 min on a cooling rack w/o removing the spring form nor the baking parchment. Then remove everything & let the panettone cool down to room temperature.
Notes
Prep Time: Rising time for the dough not included! It's 90 min (1st rise) & 60 min (2nd rise). So before the oven session starts it's about 3 h of preparation overall.
Oven temperature: The original recipe recommends 200 °C, 180 °C and 160 °C - always w/ fan. When baking the panettone in my oven I really quickly realized that my oven is obviously more powerful. My panettone got a little too brown ... So I'll use for my next panettone only 180 °C, 160 °C and 150 °C. I recommend that you think about the power of your oven & decide ... with which temperature to start.
You may store your panettone on you kitchen counter - covered - or in an appropriate storage box.
Sorry: no experience w/ freezing!

 

(information on equipment)

 

 

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keep it simple. be flexible. always.