Panettone

I know that panettone is a Christmas sweet bread and we are well into spring but I woke up with such a graving for a slice of this sweet bread that I just had to bake one up. There was no time to bake a superior panettone made with a pre-ferment; that would have meant waiting another day so I had no choice but to refer to a reliable straight dough recipe from Canada's Best Bread Machine Baking Recipes by Donna Washburn and Heather Butt. I only use my bread machine to mix the dough and then I proceed as with any bread and bake it in the oven. This recipe is simple to make as you just dump all the ingredients in the mixing chamber of the bread machine. The bread is scented with a grating of lemon rind, cardamon and marsala and studded with plump raisins. I omitted the currants and candied citron and added more raisins. The marsala isn't part of the recipe but it adds so much to the panettone's flavour. Sometimes I soak the raisins in the Marsala before adding them to the dough but there was no time for that. I had bought dry milk a while ago as it saves you the step of scalding milk so I thought I would try it out in this recipe and substituted the cup of milk with a cup of water and 1/4 cup of dry milk and hoped for the best.


The dough is lovely and soft and rolled into a ball and placed in a panettone pan.

I proofed my dough in large plastic bags where it is left alone for a while.

When I checked it the dough had risen well over the top of the pan. I've made this recipe many times and I don't remember the rise being so significant. I think the dry milk contributed to the awsome rise.


The oven spring was also significant and I was rewarded with this lovely tall, domed sweet bread. Before baking I had to adjust the rack to the bottom of the oven to allow room for the dough to rise and not hit the top of the oven.

A trick I discovered was to invert the panettone into the pan to cool. The top crust is strong enough to support the panettone and hold it in place without sinking back into the pan. If you cool it in an upright position the panettone can collapse onto itself while it is still warm. Some books suggest using a pillow to support a cooling panettone but this method works as well.

When the panettone was still warm I sliced into it and I was quite pleased with the crumb. I could now finally have a slice with a cup of coffee. My graving was sated.

Italian Panettone

1 cup (242 gr.) milk or 1 cup of water and 1/4 cup dry milk

1 egg

2 tbsp. (42 gr.) honey

1 tsp. salt (I used 1-1/4 tsp.)

2 tbsp. butter

3 tbsp. marsala

3-1/4 cups (460 gr.) all-purpose or bread flour

1/2 tsp. cardamon

2 tsp. bread machine yeast (instant yeast)

1/2 cup raisins, (plumped in 3 tbsp. brandy or marsala)

1/2 cup currants

1/3 cup candied citron

Measure all ingredients except currants, raisins and citron into baking pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Insert pan into the oven chamber. Select Sweet Cycle. Add currants, raisins and citron at the "add ingredient" signal.

I use the dough cycle and allow the dough to rise twice and then shape it into a ball in place it in a panettone pan. I allow it to rise until doubled and then bake it in a 350 F. oven for about 40 minutes or until the top is golden dark brown. If the top is browing to quickly then tent it with a sheet of aluminum foil.

Cool as shown above and enjoy.

Yeastspotted.