Italian Panettone Recipe

The traditional panettone, a recipe invented by Milanese bakers 500 years ago, is made with the addition of wheat sourdough. The dough lasts for several days. Due to such a long fermentation, the structure and taste of the cake change, as well as the shelf life increases.

We offer a modern recipe for Italian "Easter cake" panettone - tender and light. This cake is sure to decorate your Easter basket.

Ingredients

• Flour - 800 g
• Sugar - 300 g
• Butter - 150 g
• Milk - 250 ml
• Eggs - 3 pcs.
• Egg yolks - 2 pcs.
• Yeast fresh - 40 g
• Raisins - 150 g
• Candied fruits - 100 g
• Dried apricots - 150 g
• Ground nutmeg - 1 tsp.
• Orange peel - 1 tbsp.
• Cardamom - 0.5 tsp.
• Vanilla sugar - 20 g

Directions

1. To begin, prepare the yeast mixture. On a deep plate, grind the yeast, and add 2 tbsp. l. sugar and 4 tbsp. l. warm milk. Mix everything well until smooth. There pour 2 tbsp. l. flour, stir again. Set aside the mixture for 15-20 minutes so that the yeast begins to ferment.
2. In a large bowl sift 2 cups flour, pour warm milk, and mix thoroughly. Here we add the yeast mixture and knead until smooth. Cover the finished mash with a towel or cling film and put it in a warm place for an hour. During this time, the scum should rise 3-4 times. As soon as it starts to fall off, you can knead the dough.
3. Beat eggs with a mixer, add the yolks, and pour them into the mash. Pre-softened butter is cut into cubes and also added to the dough. There pour the sugar, and mix well. Add 3 cups of flour, spices, and seasonings to the dough.
4. Knead the dough for an hour. At first, it will be quite sticky. To make the dough stick to your hands less, you can lubricate your palms with a little oil. Add the flour gradually until the dough is pliable, soft, and smooth.
5. After kneading the dough, you need to transfer it to a large bowl and leave it in the heat for 2 hours. During this time, it should rise and increase several times.
6. While the dough is suitable, wash the raisins, dried apricots, and candied fruit, and dry them on a paper towel. It is better to cut dried apricots and candied fruits into small pieces so that all delicacies were of the same shape.
7. Remove the finished dough from the container, knead well again with your hands, and add raisins, candied fruit, and dried apricots. Prepare baking tins: grease them with oil and spread parchment on the bottom. Transfer the dough, filling only 1/3 of each form. After all, the mass has yet to rise and increase several times. Leave the form in the heat for an hour. Before baking, it is desirable to grease the tops of the cakes with egg yolk. The browned crust will look more appetizing and tempting.
8. Preheat the oven to 180-190 degrees, and put the panettone to bake. It is advisable not to open the cabinet door for the first 15-20 minutes so that the dough does not fall off. The total baking time is 45-50 minutes. Ready-made Italian "belts" should be taken warm from the molds and cooled on the grill.
9. Traditional panettone is not decorated with icing or beaten egg whites. The cake is usually wrapped in parchment paper and tied with ribbon. But you can be creative and make a festive Easter decor.
10. Panettone is served with red sweet wine, hot chocolate, or a cup of fragrant coffee. Such pastries can be stored for several days. Bakers are sure that during this time it only gets tastier!