Panettone

I didn't get around to making my Christmas cake this year. But I did have some surplus orange zest and juice to use up, so I decided to give this panettone a go.

Orange and Raisin Panettone

Slightly adapted from Cook's Country December/January 2018

Ingredients

• 3/4 c. golden raisins
• 2 Tbsp. orange juice
• 3/4 c. warm milk
• zest of 1 orange
• 1 large egg
• 2 large egg yolks
• 3 Tbsp. light corn syrup
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. almond extract
• 390g all-purpose flour
• 2 1/4 tsp. instant yeast
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 8 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into 1-Tbsp. pieces, softened
• 85g candied orange peel
• 1 small egg
• 1/2 Tbsp. water

Ingredients

1. Combine raisins and orange juice and heat in microwave until steaming (~1 minute). Cover and set aside for at least 15 minutes.
2. Combine warm milk, orange zest, large egg, egg yolks, corn syrup, vanilla extract, and almond extract in a large measuring cup.
3. Combine flour, yeast, and salt in a bowl and stir to mix.
4. Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour in the milk mixutre.
5. Working from the centre outward, gradually mix the flour into the wet ingredients.
6. Once all the flour has been incorporated, cover and let rest for 5-10 minutes.
7. Knead in the bowl for a few minutes.
8. Begin adding butter, 1 Tbsp. at a time, while continuing to knead in the bowl.
9. Cover and let rest for 5-10 minutes.
10. Add the raisins and candied peel and knead in the bowl until the inclusions are fully incorporated.
11. Cover and let rise at room temperature for 1-2 hours. Dough is done rising when it no longer springs back when poked with a wet finger. Try to let it rise as fully as possible, but avoid letting it get to the point that it sighs and sinks back when poked.
12. Grease a 20cm (8") round cake pan.
13. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead it for a few strokes.
14. Press it into a flat disc.
15. Shape the disc into a ball by folding each side in toward the centre, then flip it over and round it and tension the gluten across the top surface.
16. Place the ball, seam-side-down, in the greased pan.
17. Cover and let rise for another 1-2 hours. Dough should spring back only very slightly when poked with a wet finger.
18. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
19. Beat the small egg with the water and brush the top of the loaf with the egg wash. Try to avoid letting any of the wash dribble down the side of the loaf where it will stick to the pan.
20. Bake the loaf at 180°C (350°F) for 20 minutes.
21. Cover the top of the loaf with tin foil and bake for another 30-40 minutes. (Internal temperature should register 87°C/190°F.)
22. Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan for 15 minutes.
23. Remove the panettone from its pan and transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling¹.

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Variations

Chocolate Chip Panettone

Ingredients

• 3/4 c. warm milk
• zest of 1 orange (optional)
• 1 large egg
• 2 large egg yolks
• 3 Tbsp. light corn syrup
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. almond extract
• 390g all-purpose flour
• 2 1/4 tsp. instant yeast
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 8 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into 1-Tbsp. pieces, softened
• 1 c. mini chocolate chips
• 85g candied orange peel
• 1 small egg
• 1/2 Tbsp. water

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¹ I remembered hearing that panettone normally needs to hang upside down to cool. The recipe didn't make any mention of this, but the loaf did seem very soft and delicate. I initially sat it right-way-up on the wire rack after turning it out of the pan, but I was slightly worried that it was going to collapse under its own weight. The top crust seemed a bit firmer and more substantial than the bottom or sides, so I fliped it over and let it sit on its head to finish cooling. After that, I put it back in the pan for transport. Maybe next time I can try to figure out a way to hang it and see if that makes a difference to the end result. ^Back