Panettone (Italian Christmas Bread) |
|
 |
Prep Time: 0 Minutes Cook Time: 0 Minutes |
Ready In: 0 Minutes Servings: 2 |
|
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. Ingredients:
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 |
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 |
Directions:
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.)
4. 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.
5. Preheat oven to 375°.
6. 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.
|
|