Panettone Di Natale Italian Recipes

PANETTONE DI NATALE ITALIAN

Steps:

• Baking Pan: LARGE Tube pan, buttered.
• In a small bowl dissolve yeast in water.
• Stir briskly with a fork or metal whisk.
• Blend in 1/2 cup flour and let the sponge stand until it is bubbly--about 5 minutes.
• In a large bowl cream together butter and sugar and follow this with eggs and egg yolks.
• Beat thoroughly until well mixed.
• Add yeast, vanilla, salt and about 4 cups of flour--one cup at a time.
• stir with a wooden spoon until it becomes too difficult to turn--then work in by hand.
• When it is soft, but not sticky, turn from the bowl onto a floured board or counter top.
• Knead the dough for about 8 minutes and divide the ball in two equal parts.
• One half is put aside to rest while the other half receives the raisins, candied peel, citron and chopped nuts Work the fruit and nuts in well.
• Keep the two halves separate.
• Place them in greased bowls, cover tightly with plastic wrap and move to a warm place (80 to 85 Degrees) to rise until doubled in bulk about 50 minutes.
• You can test if they have risen by poking a finger in them; the dents will remain.
• (I warm up my oven for a minute-- turn it off-- and leave the pilot light on, and put my dough here).
• Punch down the two doughs, separately turn them onto the floured surface, and knead again for 3 minutes.
• Butter pan, sprinkle it with sugar, and stud the bottom with whole blanched almonds.
• Roll the plain dough into a triangle.
• (The long side--about 24 inches--will encircle the tube, with the ends overlapping.) Roll out the fruit dough the same size.
• Lay it on top of the plain.
• Beginning at the base of the triangle, roll up the two doughs, and fit them into the prepared pan.
• Try an experimental circle before dropping the dough into the pan to be certain the ends overlap, and, together, are about the same thickness as the center of the roll.
• Cover the pan with wax paper and place in a warm spot to rise until dough has doubled in bulk about one hour.
• Preheat oven to 400 F.
• Bake in a hot oven for 10 minutes, REDUCE the oven temperature to moderate 350 F.
• and continue to bake for another 50 minutes, or until the loaf tests done.
• Insert a metal skewer or wooden toothpick into the center of the loaf.
• If it comes out clean and dry, the loaf is done.
• If moist particles cling to the probe, return the loaf to the oven for an additional 10 minutes.
• Test again.
• Remove bread from the oven and turn from the pan and place on a cooling rack.
• Slice in wedges.
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