Panettone (meaning large bread) is a traditional Christmas and New Year sweetbread, similar to brioche, from Milan in Italy. It has also become a tradition in South America where it is especially eaten on Christmas Eve with chocolate sauce. Any leftovers are toasted on Christmas morning.
This version has a more cakey texture than bread-machine panettone. If using a bread-machine, reduce the yeast to ½ tsp and ignore steps 1-5. Put the ingredients, except for the grated lemon peel, candied mixed peel and sultanas, into the machine on the raisin dough setting. Add these reserved ingredients when the bread-machine indicates to do so and follow steps 6-9 when it has done its magic. For a chocolate version, reduce the mixed peel by ½ oz and swap the sultanas for 3oz chocolate chips.
Ingredients
- 11oz/311g strong white bread flour
- 4½fl.oz/140ml milk
- 3oz/85g sultanas
- 2oz/56g chopped candied mixed peel
- 1 egg, beaten
- peel of 1 lemon, grated
- ½oz/15g butter
- 1 tbs fructose
- 1¾ tsp dried fast action yeast
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/3 tsp fennel seeds, ground in the mill attachment of a food processor
- approximately 7 cardamom pods, discard the pods and grind the inner seeds in the mill attachment of a food processor
1. Heat the milk in the microwave for about 30 seconds and stir in the yeast and fructose. Leave for 10 minutes until it starts foaming.
2. Combine the flour, salt and ground spices in a mixing bowl then push to the edge of the bowl, forming a well in the centre.
3. Melt the butter and pour this, with the beaten egg and yeasty-milk mix in the centre of the well. Gradually push the dry ingredients into the liquid and combine until you have a soft dough.
4. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes or so.
5. Add the lemon peel, mixed peel and sultanas, folding it all in and kneading for a further 5 minutes or so.
6. Put the dough in a greased 8 inch/20cm loose base cake tin. Put this inside a plastic bag, wrapped tightly around, and leave in a warm place (a warm airing cupboard or conservatory is ideal) for 1½-2½hrs until the dough has risen and doubled in size.
7. Remove from the bag and bake at gas mark 3/160°C for 20-30 minutes.
8. Turn out and cool on a wire rack before storing in an airtight tin.
9. Wait a few hours, to allow it to lighten up, before eating. You can enjoy it as it is or with chocolate sauce, ice cream, cream or crème fraiche. Alternatively, slice it like bread and slather the slices with butter or use it to make a luxurious bread and butter pudding.
Categories: recipes
I am Italian and I have never seen fennel seeds or cardamom in panettone – this is an exotic version indeed!!!
I hope you like it, if you decide to give it a go, Laura! Personally, I really love the inclusion of these two spices and find this (along with the delicious mixed peel) is what makes it for me.