Recipe Panettone

Another recipe that I wanted to share on this blog is the recipe of a very typical cake from Milan. Milanese people usually eat it for Christmas, that’s why it’s also recognized as the “traditional Italian Christmas bread”, so even though I am a little late for that, let’s say that you will be able to do it for next Christmas. This cake is called the “Panettone”. At Christmas time, it can be found anywhere in Milan. Today I will give you a recipe so you can do it yourself at home. The recipe is not very easy so hold on, take your time and do not rush it! Follow it carefully and your cake will turn out just well!                                                                  

This is the recipe of a Panettone cake for 6 to 8 people. It takes about half an hour to prepare the cake and then the cooking time is between 40 and 50 minutes, plus some time is needed for the bread dough to prove.                                                                                                

Ingredients needed:                                                       

(You can have a look at the picture gallery below to see in just one look what you need for this recipe, then come back here for more details!)                                                           

For the cake:                                                                                    

- 4 tablespoons of walk milk                                                                                           

- 2 sachets of instant dry yeast                                                                                      

- 100g of caster sugar                                                                                                   

- 250g of butter (take it out of the fridge to let it soften a little bit)                                     

- 5 eggs                                                                                                                          

- 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract                                                                                       

- the zest of 1 lemon                                                                                                     

- the zest of 1 orange                                                                                                     

- 500g of white bread flour (and a little more for dusting when preparing)                          

- 80g of grapes                                                                                                             

- 80g of sultanas (dried grapes)                                                                                    

- 3 tablespoons of dark rum                                                                                           

For the topping:                                                                          

- 30g of almonds, roughly chopped                                                                               

- 1 tablespoon of caster sugar                                                                                       

- 1 egg (only the white part is needed)                                                                         

- 1 tablespoon of icing sugar                                                                                          

Method to follow:                                                          

- if you have one, use a panettone case, otherwise grease a deep cake tin (it should be at least 20cm deep)                                                                                                                         

- in a bowl, put the 4 tablespoons of warm milk and add the 2 sachets of yeast and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Leave it or a few minutes.                                                                   

- in a separate bowl, put the rest of the sugar and mix it together with the butter and the vanilla extract until you get something really light and creamy.                                            

- add the lemon and orange zests. Also add the eggs, little by little, until they are well incorporated to the mixture. Also add a tablespoon of the flour and mix it together with the eggs.                                                                                                                     

- in a third large bowl, place the remaining flour, add a good pinch of salt don't forget to  make a well in the middle. Add to it first the yeast mixture then also add the egg mixture, then fold it in with a large spoon to make a dough. Knead it in the bowl for a few minutes until it starts to come together. The dough should be quite sticky at this stage.                                      

- Take the dough out of the bowl and put it on a floured surface. Knead again for another 10 minutes, until everything has come together. The dough should now be soft and stretchy. Place it in a slightly greased bowl and cover it with film. Leave it in a warm place for about 2 hours, to let it double in size.                                                                                    

- Place the grapes and dried grapes in a saucepan with the rum. Heat gently for a few minutes, just enough time to let the fruits absorb the rum and be juicy. After they do, leave them aside to cool down.                                                                                                      

- Go back to your dough after it has risen. Take it out of the bowl, on a floured surface and knead it again for another 5 minutes. Gradually add the grapes and dried grapes, while you continue kneading. Shape the dough into a bowl and put it in the prepared tin (or panettone case). Cover with film again and leave it to rise for about 1 more hour.                          

- Preheat the oven to 180°C.                                                                                        

- Mix together the almonds, egg white and sugar for the topping, then gently brush it over the panettone. Place in the oven for about 40 to 50 minutes. It should become a little golden. When you take it out of the oven, let it cool for about 10 minutes before you take it out and let it cool down some more. Once the cake is completely cool, add the icing sugar on top, and serve to your guests!                                                                                                                  

Now tell me, does your panettone look like the one in the picture below? I hope it does because this one look reallyyyyy good and delicious to eat with your family at Christmas time, doesn't it?                                                                                                                                       

(Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panettone )                                                         

I hope you succeeded if you tried to make this recipe! There are a lot of steps and you have to be patient to wait for the dough to rise, but the result is so yummy and worth it! Enjoy!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

(All ingredient pictures are from PixaBay)                                                                     

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