Prima Panettone!
Christmas is always a time for special cakes and biscuits, but the perfect Italian Christmas demands a Panettone. Our colleagues in Milan have sent us a secret tip: one of the best Panettone recipes from Master Confectioner Alfonso Pepe.
Preparing a Panettone from scratch rather than simply buying one ready-made is a challenge that many people are keen to take on. The preparation may seem at first glance more difficult than it actually is: all you need is patience and time, since Panettone requires quite a while to prepare. In our recipe, the Panettone is made using natural yeast, which gives it a soft, long-lasting consistency and a richer aroma!
INGREDIENTS FOR THE FIRST DOUGH
| 250 g | Manitoba flour |
| 65 g | Yeast |
| 125 ml | Water (at room temperature) |
| 70 g | Softened butter |
| 65 g | Sugar |
| 125 g | Crystal sugar |
| 2 g | Malt |
| 50 g | Egg yolk |
INGREDIENTS FOR THE SECOND DOUGH
| 65 g | Manitoba flour |
| 50 g | Sugar |
| 40 g | Softened butter |
| 50 g | Egg yolk |
| 150 g | Raisins |
| 2 g | Fine salt |
| 1 | Vanilla pod |
| 16 g | Acacia honey |
| 30 g | Candied lemon |
| 70 g | Candied orange |
| 75 g | Orange paste |
| 30 g | Mandarin paste |
| 20 g | Lemon paste |
PANETTONE TIN
20 g butter to glaze the top of the Panettone
PREPARATION OF THE FIRST DOUGH
Mix together the malt, 65 g sugar, 125 g crystal sugar and 125 ml water (at room temperature).
Whisk the mixture until the sugar has fully dissolved then add 250 g Manitoba flour. Knead the dough for around 5 minutes in a mixer with a dough hook. As soon as the dough has reached a certain consistency, add 65 g fresh yeast and knead again thoroughly.
Cover the dough and leave at room temperature. Three times during the course of the day, stir it up again by kneading it at a moderate speed.
Meanwhile, put 70 g softened butter in a small bowl and beat with a mixer. Add around half the egg yolk and mix for approx. 5 minutes. Add the remaining egg yolk and mix again until everything is well combined.
Now keep the mixer running and add half the butter and egg yolk mixture to the dough. As soon as everything is combined and the butter and egg yolk mixture has been fully absorbed, add the remaining butter and egg yolk mixture. Continue kneading until the dough has a smooth surface.
Then turn the dough out onto a work surface and use a dough scraper to work it smooth. Shape the dough into a ball, place in a glass bowl, cover with clingfilm and leave for around 12 hours at a temperature of around 26°, until the dough has risen and tripled in volume.
PREPARATION OF THE SECOND DOUGH
For the second Panettone dough, remove the first (risen) dough from the glass bowl and decant it into a mixing bowl. With the mixer running and using the dough hook, add 65 g Manitoba flour. Add the mandarin, orange and lemon pastes, then the honey and the vanilla pod. Run the mixer again until the flavourings have been fully absorbed.
Meanwhile, make a new butter and egg yolk mixture using 40 g butter and 50 g egg yolk, like on the previous day.
As soon as the dough is elastic, add 50 g sugar and a pinch of salt. Mix for a few more minutes. Add the butter and egg yolk mix in two separate portions and keep kneading the dough until everything is well combined.
Meanwhile, soak the raisins and dice 30 g candied lemon and 70 g candied orange. Now drain the raisins well and put them in a bowl. Add the diced lemon and orange and mix well.
To check that the dough is ready, take a small portion of the dough and test it for elasticity by carefully pulling the dough apart. If it stretches without tearing, it has the right consistency. If not, knead the dough for a few more minutes. Once the dough is ready, add the mixture of candied fruits and raisins.
When the fruit mixture has been well worked in, the dough needs to be covered with a cloth and left to rest in the bowl for around 20 minutes.
Then place the dough on a work surface, turn it over a few times then leave uncovered for a further 30 minutes at room temperature. If the dough is a little too thick or slightly sticky, use a dough scraper to knead it a bit more.
After 30 minutes, take 1,050 g of the dough, shape it into a ball and place it into a 1 kg paper Panettone tin (exact size: Ø 22 cm diameter, height 22 cm).
Use the remaining dough (approx. 150 g) to make two small Panettone cakes in muffin tins.
Heat the oven to 35° then switch it off. Cover the Panettone with a glass dome and place it in the switched off oven with the two small cakes. Leave to rise for 6-8 hours.
As soon as it has risen, leave it covered at room temperature for around 30 minutes. A thin film will form on the surface. Use a dough scraper to make a cross shape in the middle and put 20 g butter in this cross. Bake at 175° for 50 minutes.
Take the Panettone out of the oven and push two steel skewers through both outside edges. Turn it upside down, prop it up on two pans or bowls of the same height and leave to cool overnight. The next morning, turn it back the right way up, remove the skewers and the Panettone is ready to decorate!
