Panettone

WOW - the past month seems to have flown by in a somewhat scary way.

Her eit is time for the latest Cooking Light Supper Club! Last month our dedicated leader was in Italy for the Club and this time I am heading to Italy in a week. It must be this Italian connection that made me select this recipe for this month's theme - Family Holiday Traditions. We may not be Italian but we do love Paettone - in fact, Pannettone french toast is often our Christmas morning breakfast.

This Italian bread is similar to a fruitcake and traditionally served during the holidays. The Christmas treat is typically baked into a tall, cylindrical shape (empty coffee cans work great as baking pans). While its origins are sketchy, one legend holds that in the late 1400s, a young Milanese nobleman fell in love with the daughter of a baker named Toni and created "Pan de Toni" to impress his love's father.

If you have never tried Panettone then this would be a good recipe to start with. I was unable to find a coffee can - no one seems to use cans any more for something so mundane as coffee beans. I didn't want to use one of the paper things which masquerade as a can. I found some panettone baking molds when I was in Ottawa - they were larger than what I wanted but they were as good as I was going to get.

The result was amazing - a yeasty, eggy bread studded with delicious fruit. YUM This was FAR better than the ones made in Italian factory bakeries, shipped to Canada, and which often feature an expirary date 2 years hence.

Panettone

Marinated fruit:
1/3 cup golden raisins
1/3 cup chopped dried apricots
1/3 cup dried tart cherries
1/4 cup triple sec (orange-flavored liqueur) or orange juice

Dough:
1 package dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/4 cup warm water (100° to 110°)
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
6 tablespoons butter or stick margarine, melted
1/4 cup fat-free milk
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 tablespoons pine nuts
Cooking spray
1 teaspoon butter or stick margarine, melted
2 teaspoons turbinado or granulated sugar

To prepare marinated fruit, combine first 4 ingredients in a small bowl; let stand 1 hour. Drain fruit in a sieve over a bowl, reserving fruit and 2 teaspoons liqueur separately.

To prepare dough, dissolve yeast and 1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar in warm water in a small bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine 1/2 cup flour and next 6 ingredients (1/2 cup flour through egg yolk) in a large bowl; beat at medium speed of a mixer 1 minute or until smooth. Add yeast mixture and 1/2 cup flour; beat 1 minute. Stir in marinated fruit, 2 1/2 cups flour, and pine nuts. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 8 minutes); add enough of remaining flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands.

Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, about 1 1/2 hours. Dough will not double in size. (Press two fingers into dough. If indentation remains, the dough has risen enough.)

Punch dough down; let rest 5 minutes. Divide in half, shaping each into a ball. Place balls into 2 (13-ounce) coffee cans coated with cooking spray. Cover and let rise 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375°.

Uncover dough. Place coffee cans on bottom rack in oven, and bake at 375° for 30 minutes or until browned and loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Remove bread from cans, and cool on a wire rack. Combine reserved 2 teaspoons liqueur and 1 teaspoon butter; brush over loaves. Sprinkle evenly with turbinado sugar.

Comments

[Susan]

Hi Jerry ... My husband adores Panettone. I have often thought of making it but was intimidated by the rise of the soft dough and how to deal with it! You have inspired me to give it a try!

Safe travels on your trip to Italy! We'll be thinking of you as you sip wine and enjoy the sights!

[bellini]

I have a Christmas dessert in mind that would make such good use of any leftover panettone. Although I don't imagine their would be any leftovers.

[sandi @ the whistlestop cafe]

Brave you!
This does look better than the panettone I have seen on the shelves... which I might just buy and eat all by myself whilst my friends are all in Rome!!

[JDeQ]

I hope it turns out as well for you Susan as it did for me. I am a but yeast phobic so I confess to being nervous before I started.

Ive made a panettone bread pudding before Bellini - it was brilliant!

I wonder if the panettone that we can find in bakeshops in Italy tastes better Sandi? I shall let you know!