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DECEMBER 2014 -
SEXY GLAM
MAGAZINE -
45
T
he afternoon before you plan to bake the panet-
tone, begin by cutting the butter into a casserole and
melting it over a very low flame or a double boiler;
keep it warm enough to remain melted. Dissolve the
sugar in about 2/5 cup (100 ml) of warm water.
Put the melted butter, salt, and yeast cake in a mixing
bowl (or better yet the bowl of an electric mixer) and
mix well. Next, add, while mixing briskly, the yolks
and sugar, and -- still mixing briskly -- sift in the flour.
Should the dough be quite stiff add a little more water.
Continue to mix briskly for about 25 minutes, throwing
the dough against the sides of the bowl, until it has
become smooth, velvety, and full of air bubbles. At
this point put it in a lightly floured bowl large enough
for it to triple in volume, cover it with a heavy cloth,
and keep it in a warm (85 F, 30 C) place for about 10
hours.
Wash the raisins, picking over them to remove sticks
and whatnot, drain them well, and set them on a cloth
to dry. Note: You can also use a combination of raisins
and finely diced (not minced) candied
citrus
peels.
When the time is up, turn the dough
out on your work surface (or return
it to the mixing bowl) and work in
the flour, vanilla, yolks and honey.
Mix with considerable energy for
about a half hour, then work in
all but 2 tablespoons of the but-
ter, which you will have melted as
before, and a little water (just enough
to make an elastic dough), to which you
will have added a pinch of salt. Continue
working the dough until it becomes shiny
and dry, and at this point add the fruit, work-
ing the dough to distribute it evenly. At this point you
can divide the dough into pieces of the size you want;
if you want to make your panettoni by weight, use
a scale and figure that they’ll decrease in weight by
10% during baking.
Lightly grease your hands with the butter and round
the balls of dough, then put them on a board or plate
and let them rise in a warm place for about a half
hour. At this point lightly butter your hands again and
put the panettoni in panettone molds (or put rings of
stiff paler around their bases). Return them to their
board and put them in a warm (68-80 F, 20-30 C,
depending upon the season), humid spot to rise for
about 6 hours.
Heat your oven to 380 F (190 C). Cut an x into the
top of each panettone and put 2 tablespoons (30 g)
unsalted butter over the cuts. Put the panettoni in the
oven, and after 4 minutes remove them and quickly
push down on the corners produced by the cuts. Re-
turn them to the oven and bake them
until a skewer inserted into
the middle comes out dry.
When chefs remove
their panettoni from
the oven they put
them upside down
in special panet-
tone holders to
keep their flanks
from collapsing. In
a home situation
this is not practical,
and you’ll simply
have to cool your pa-
nettoni on a rack.
5 ounces (140 g) fresh yeast cake
3 1/3 cups (400 g) flour
3/8 cup (90 g) unsalted butter
5/8 cup (110 g) sugar
6 yolks
1/2 teaspoon salt
4/5 cup (200 ml) tepid water
For the second rising:
2 1/3 cups (280 g) flour
5/8 cup (110 g) unsalted butter
7/8 pound (400 g) sultana raisins
1/2 cup (100 g) sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 yolks
A little flour for dusting the work surface and mold
For the first rising: