Individual Panettone (意大利圣诞面包）

INTRODUCTION

Panettone will be my last recipe for Christmas 2014.. This is an Italian famous bread which had become a common imported Christmas item in high end Singapore and Malaysia supermarkets

Per Wikipedia:

“Panettone (pronounced /ˌ p æ n ə ˈ t oʊ n i /, Italian: [panetˈtoːne]) is a type of sweet bread loaf originally from Milan (in Milanese dialect it is called paneton /paneˈtuŋ/),^[1] usually prepared and enjoyed for Christmas and New Year in Italy,south eastern France, Spain, Portugal, Brazil, Peru, Malta, Germany and Switzerland, and is one of the symbols of the city of Milan. In recent years it has become a popular addition to the Christmas table in the United Kingdom. In South America, especially in Peru, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Venezuela, Colombia, Bolivia, and Chile, it is a Christmas dinner staple and in some places replaces roscón de reyes/bolo rei (King cake).

It has a cupola shape, which extends from a cylindrical base and is usually about 12–15 cm high for a panettone weighing 1 kg. Other bases may be used, such as an octagon, or a frustum with star section shape more common topandoro. It is made during a long process that involves the curing of the dough, which is acidic, similar to sourdough. The proofing process alone takes several days, giving the cake its distinctive fluffy characteristics. It contains candied orange, citron, and lemon zest, as well as raisins, which are added dry and not soaked. Many other variations are available such as plain or with chocolate. It is served in slices, vertically cut, accompanied with sweet hot beverages or a sweet wine, such as Asti or Moscato d’Asti. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panettone)”

Looking at the definitions of Panettone above, one will know that traditional Panettone will requires long hours or even days of proofing. It is a huge but tasty and rich bread.. In fact, it is rather difficult to prepare the traditional or commercial version of Panettone if we do not have a special big mould designed for the preparation of big Panettone.

Don’t worry, this recipe is the individual Panettone recipe that is easy and fast and requires no special baking equipment. It is about 12 cm tall and the taste and texture are equally awesome. For such a size, it is just nice for a small family of 3-4 and not to mention it can be prepared at a fraction of cost as compared to store purchased…The only think that you might need is to search for some tall muffin cups and I get mine rather easily in Singapore bakery. If you are not concerned about the height, feel free to use the normal muffin cups in the preparation.

Remember that if you can’t finished the Panettone, keep it until Christmas is over, use these stale Panettone to make some delicious bread puddings. It is an excellent choice for bread puddings because the bread in itself is already tasty and aromatic..

WHAT IS REQUIRED

Recipe adapted from: Individual Panettone,The Essential Baking Cookbook Page 266., Murdoch Books 2000

Servings: About 4 twelve cm tall Panettones

250 grams of bread flour
125 grams of mixed fruit (can be substituted with equal quantities of dried apricots, currants and sultanas)
90 grams or ml of lukewarm milk
90 grams of butter – softened
60 grams or ml of Marsala wine or other fruity wine such as rum, red cherry etc.
60 grams of castor sugar
7g of instant dried yeast
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
1/2 teaspoon of aniseed or mixed spice

STEPS OF PREPARATION

In a bowl, put the mixed fruits and Marsala (or other fruit based wine) together. Let it soak for at least 1 hour.

In another bowl, put the yeast, one teaspoon of sugar and milk. Stir until well mixed, leave it in a warm place until the mixture is frothy and slightly increase in volume.

Cream the butter and the remaining sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg one by one and beat until well mixed. In another mixer bowl, put the bread flour and mixed spice, make a well in the centre.

Add in the yeast solution, the butter batter, the soaked mixed fruits and mix with a flat bladed knife until it forms a soft sticky dough. Cover with some clingy wrap and let it proved until the dough have double in size. As this is a very rich dough loaded with eggs and butter, the proofing time can be rather long (about 1.5 hours) and it also depends on the day’s temperature. In colder countries, you may want to proof the dough in the oven at 35 degree Celsius with a bowl of plain water)

After the dough have doubled in size, transfer to a lightly floured surface, knead a few minutes until it is not sticky. If it is still very sticky, add spoon gradually (one tablespoon by tablespoon) until it did not stick to your hand. Divide into 4 portions and transfer to the 10 cm tall muffin cups for second proofing.

Pre-heat the oven to 200 degree Celsius. Once the dough have double in size or reach about 90% of muffin cup’s height, bake in the pre-heated oven for 30-35 minutes or when a skewer inserts into the centre of the bread comes out clean. Can be served warm or cold if preferred.

CONCLUSION

Christmas is a joyous seasons where there are lots of delicious food available for choices. You may not be able to finish this bread during the dinner. You can always keep it and prepare bread puddings few days later… This is one of the simplest and fastest recipe.. Why pay more where you can easily prepared at home?

Hope you like the post today. Cheers and have a nice day.

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