euromaxx series: Christmas Specialties - Part 2

Ingredients:

For the first batch of dough:

175 grams flour
75 milliliters water
2 grams fresh yeast

For the panettone dough:

850 grams flour
400 grams sugar
250 milliliters milk
1 lemon peel
1 orange peel
1 vanilla pod
3 eggs
9 egg yolks
300 grams butter
400 grams raisins
200 grams candied lemon peel
200 grams candied orange peel

Preparation:

Day 1:

Knead together the water and 175 grams of flour until an elastic dough forms. Shape the mass into a ball and slice crossways. The first dough mixture should be covered and let sit in a warm place overnight, for 8 to 12 hours.

Day 2:

Briefly warm 250 milliliters of milk, scrape the core from a vanilla pod and add the rest of the vanilla with the peels of one orange and one lemon in the milk. Let mixture cool.

Pour the cooled milk through a sieve and add to the first dough mixture along with 3 eggs and 850 grams of flour. Knead for about 20 minutes in a food processor. Beat 9 egg yolks with 400 grams of sugar until creamy.

Gradually add the mixture of sugar and egg yolks to the dough and knead until the entire mixture has been absorbed. Next add salt and butter and knead for another 20 minutes. Add raisins, candied orange peel and lemon peel. Carefully fold the dried fruit into the mixture until even throughout -- no longer than a few minutes.

Divide the dough into portions -- enough for about five medium-sized panettoni. Fill paper collars with the dough and let sit in a warm place for another 8 to 12 hours.

Day 3:

Cut a cross into the top of the panettone and open at the edges of the cross's center and spread melted butter across the opening. Bake the cake in an oven heated to 160 degrees Celsius for about 1 hour 30 minutes. Let cool.

The bottom line:

Making panettone at home isn't that easy. It takes at least two days -- one evening to make the first dough mixture and another day to prepare the panettone dough the next morning and bake in the evening. But the extra effort is worth it: This Italian Christmas specialty is quite tasty, and at just 380 calories per 100 grams, it's a healthier option than most holiday treats.