sponge dough and proof the dough twice:: 15 hourshours
Total Time: 16 hourshours30 minutesminutes
Servings: 8large slices (6- inch panettone
Calories: 475kcal
Author: Marvellina
Learn how to make this delicious and iconic Italian panettone with easier and much simpler steps but with a great result. The panettone can be baked with or without the panettone mold. I made two different panettones, one with almond paste topping and chocolate panettone.
Mix all ingredients for the sponge using a spatula. Cover and put it in the fridge to let it rise overnight (about 12 hours)
145 gr bread flour, 8 gr SAF Gold instant yeast, 115 gr water
Soak the dried fruits in the rum (or water). Cover and set aside until the next day
30 gr raisins, 30 gr dried cranberries, 30 gr dried currants, 1/4 cup rum, 15 gr candied orange peel
Day 2 morning: Prepare the main dough
Take the sponge dough out from the fridge at least 1 hour (2 hours if possible) to let it come to room temperature before you start preparing the main dough
Drain off excess liquid from the soaked dried fruits and set aside
Use a paddle attachment (beater), beat butter and honey until smooth, about 1-2 minutes on medium speed (speed 6 on KA). Then drizzle in the beaten egg and vanilla extract and beat for another minute
113 gr unsalted butter, 60 gr honey, 1 large egg, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Switch to dough hook attachment and add the sponge dough and flour and mix on low speed (speed 2) for 5 minutes. Increase speed to medium (speed 4) and knead for 10 minutes.The dough is very soft and sticky at this point. You need to stop several times during kneading to scrape the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula and continue to knead.
170 gr bread flour
Knead until the dough reaches a windowpane stage, meaning, when you stretch the dough thin very gently, it won't break.
Then add the soaked dried fruit, lemon and orange zest, and chocolate chips and mix until just combined using the lowest speed. We don't want to overwork the dough anymore at this point
6 gr lemon zest, 6 gr orange zest, 1/2 tsp salt, 30 gr raisins, 30 gr dried cranberries, 30 gr dried currants, 15 gr candied orange peel, 170 gr semi-sweet chocolate chip morsels
First proofing:
Oil a large mixing bowl and your hands and pick up the dough to shape it into a round ball and place inside the prepared bowl. Cover and let the dough rise at a warm place until double in size. The dough is very rich and it's going to take some time for the dough to double in size, depending on the temperature where you are too. It may take 2 to 3 hours or longer for it to double in size
If you don't want to bake on the same day, you can let the dough rise until double and then knock the gas out and round it up into a dough ball. Put it inside a bowl with a tight-fitting lid or a zipper plastic bag. Push all the air out and seal. Put this inside the fridge for a cold fermentation. This part actually improves the flavor and the shelf-life of the bread. Then proceed to shape the next day. If the dough is too stiff because of the cold, let it sit for about 30 minutes or so at room temperature and then shape. The dough is easier to work with when it's cold
Shape the dough:
If you want to bake on the same day, once the dough is doubled in size , transfer the dough to a lightly oiled work surface and your hands. Push the air out
I only have a 5-inch panettone mold, so I portioned out about 650 grams (about 23 oz) of dough and the rest I put in a 4-inch regular round pan. If you use 6 or 7 inch mold or bigger, you don't need to portion the dough
Round the dough into a ball by pulling and tucking the dough underneath with both of your hands to create some tension to the dough
To bake with panettone mold:
Place the shaped dough inside the mold and proceed to second proofing step
To bake without panettone mold:
You can also use a round cake pan with at least 4 to 5 inches in height. Grease the bottom and the sides of the pan. Line the sides with strips of parchment paper, about 2 inches higher than the pan. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper as well for easier release
Place the dough inside the pan and proceed to second proofing
Second proofing:
Lightly cover the dough and let it rise again until it is about 1 inch below the rim of the mold or the rim of the parchment paper you lined inside the pot
5 minutes before the end of the second proofing, preheat the oven at 350 F (180 C). This is for my conventional bottom-heat only oven (no fan). If you are using convection with top and bottom heat, lower the temperature by 20 F or 15 C
If using almond paste for topping the panettone:
Skip the egg wash. Mix all ingredients for the almond paste. It should be a paste consistency and can be piped but not watery. Add egg white as needed to reach that consistency
20 gr almond flour, 5 gr cornstarch, 10 gr icing sugar, 10 gr egg white
Transfer the paste to a piping bag or plastic bag, snip the corner, big enough to allow the paste to be piped out and pipe in a circular motion on the surface of the dough. Dust with some icing sugar on top
10 gr icing sugar
If not using almond paste and using egg wash instead:
Prepare the egg wash by whisking a whole egg with water. Gently brush the surface with egg wash
1 large egg, 1 Tbsp water
Scoring the bread:
Use a sharp razor or bread lame or very sharp knife to score a cross on the surface of the dough. It may be a bit tricky to do so as the dough is wet and sticky, but just do it gently the best you can. This will allow the bread to rise properly as it bakes
Put a small piece of butter in the middle of the cross. Why? this part I'm not so sure. It's probably the tradition? Please enlight me if you know why :)
Baking:
Put the mold on top of a baking sheet and transfer it to the oven and place on the middle rack and bake for about 40-45 minutes or until the top has nice dark golden brown. If the bread gets too dark halfway during baking, you can tent with a foil (shiny side up) and continue to bake
If you are baking muffin size, it will take about 20-25 minutes
Invert the bread upside down:
Remove the bread from the oven and immediately use two metal skewers to poke through the bread near the bottom (as shown in the photos above) or use 4 bamboo skewers, 2 on each side (because bamboo skewers are not long enough to go through the bread)
If you are not using panettone mold, carefully remove the bread by lifting on the parchment paper on the side and carefully use two metal skewers to poke through the bread near the bottom of the bread or use 4 bamboo skewers, 2 on each side (because bamboo skewers are not long enough to go through the bread)
You do not need to invert the muffin size panettone. They are small enough to maintain the height
Cool down:
Invert the bread upside down in a tall pot or stockpot, deep enough without the bread touching the base of the pot. Let it cools down upside down until the next day. This allows the bread to maintain its height without collapsing on its own weight and to maintain that light fluffy texture (thanks to gravity pulling on the bread)
Serve:
Panettone is best served after 24 hours to allow the flavor to develop. Dust with some powdered sugar before serving if you wish or serve as is or toast them and spread some butter on it (heaven on earth!)
How to store panettone:
Let panettone cools down completely and then wrap it with a cling wrap and put inside an air-tight container or a zipper bag (push all the air out and seal). It can be stored at room temperature for one week if it's not humid where you are
Panettone also freezes well. Wrap it with double layer of cling wrap and then put inside a freezer bag. Push all the air out and seal. They can be kept frozen for one month. I personally won't go beyond one month for the best result
Notes
I highly recommend using SAF gold instant yeast because this yeast is made for high-sugar, high-fat dough like this. It rises beautifully and tall too! It's a bit more expensive than regular SAF instant yeast, but it does the job beautifully!