Panettone – Holiday Fruitcake
Description
This is not your grandma's fruit cake that no one ever eats. Panettone is a sweet bread originally from Italy. Now it is one of the most important holiday traditions in South America. It’s filled with dried fruits and nuts and baked in round decorative
Ingredients
Sponge:
2 1/4 c. flour, divided
2/3 c. water
2 T. apricot jam
1 T. instant yeast, divided
Dough:
1/4 c. sugar
12 T. softened butter, divided
6 egg yolks, divided
1 t. salt
2 t. good quality vanilla
3/4 t. orange extract
3/4 t. lemon extract
2 T. honey
1/2 c. dried cherries, finely chopped
1/2 c. golden raisins, finely chopped
1/2 c. pecans, finely chopped
Icing: optional
2 T. melted butter
1 c. powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 t. vanilla
pinch of salt
1-2 T. milk
Directions
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Make the sponge:
Place 1 1/2 c. flour, water, apricot jam, and 1 t. yeast in a small bowl; whisk together. Cover bowl with plastic wrap; set in a warm place to rest for 3 hours.
Make the dough:
In the bowl of a standing mixer, add the sponge, 3/4 c. flour, sugar, and 1 t. yeast. Use the hook attachment to knead the dough until the mixture is smooth and stretchy, about 3-5 minutes. Add 3 egg yolks, one at a time, and knead until dough is smooth, shiny, and stretchy. Cover dough with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
Return dough to the mixer; add salt, vanilla, lemon and orange flavoring, honey, and 1 t. yeast. Knead for 1 minute.
Add 3 egg yolks and knead until incorporated. Add the softened butter, one tablespoon at a time. Knead until dough is soft, shiny and very stretchy, about 5 minutes. Dough should pull away from the sides of the bowl.
Toss the chopped raisins, cherries and pecans together with 2 T. flour. Add them to the dough; knead briefly, until just mixed in.
Place dough in a oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.
The next morning, turn the dough out onto a floured surface; shape into a ball. Place dough inside of a 6 inch diameter panettone mold, or use a clean, buttered coffee can lined with parchment paper. Make a small cross in the top of the dough with scissors.
Let dough rise in a warm place until tripled in size, which may take several hours since the dough is cold from the refrigerator.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees for 30 minutes.
Place the panettone in the oven; lower oven temperature to 325 degrees.
Bake about 1 hour, until it has risen high and springs back a little when pressed on top -like a muffin.
Allow panettone to cool in the pan on a rack.
Optional-Icing: Melt butter, and whisk into powdered sugar. Add vanilla, a pinch of salt, and milk until desired consistency is reached. Drizzle icing decoratively over top of panettone.
Serve.
Store panettone wrapped in plastic for up to 1 week.