Chef John's Panettone

Panettone is a sweet, slightly citrusy Italian Christmas bread made with yeast and filled with rum-soaked dried fruit. Makes a great holiday baking project!

• Preparation Time: 45 mins
• Cooking Time: 40 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 25 mins
• Calories: 290 Calories

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 large egg
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated orange zest
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest
• 6 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
• 1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 0.5 cup all-purpose flour
• 2.5 cups all-purpose flour
• 0.33333334326744 cup white sugar
• 0.25 cup warm water
• 0.25 cup cold water
• 0.25 cup rum
• 0.5 cup golden raisins
• 0.25 cup sourdough starter
• 0.5 cup dried cherries, quartered
• 0.5 cup diced dried pineapple
• 1.25 teaspoons fine salt

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Step 2

The day before baking, mix flour, cold water, and sourdough starter together in a bowl. Cover and leave out at room temperature, 8 hours to overnight.

Step 3

At the same time, combine raisins, cherries, and pineapple in a separate bowl. Stir in rum. Let fruit soak, tossing occasionally, 8 hours to overnight.

Step 4

Pour warm water into large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. Add yeast and let dissolve for 10 minutes. Add eggs, 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, vanilla extract, orange zest, and lemon zest. Whisk together. Scoop in the panettone starter. Add flour and salt.

Step 5

Knead until dough is very smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Stop and scrape down the sides if needed. Add butter; knead until butter is completely mixed in and dough is soft and somewhat sticky, about 5 minutes. Transfer to your work surface.

Step 6

Toss and fold your dough into a rough ball shape using wet fingers and a bench scraper. Transfer dough back to the bowl. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 3 hours.

Step 7

Transfer dough back to your work surface and shape into a rough ball. Place into a resealable plastic bag. Refrigerate, 8 hours to overnight.

Step 8

Remove dough from the bag and press out into a flat rectangle. Sprinkle with flour and roll out to at least 1/2-inch thickness. Spread the dried fruit all over the surface. Roll dough up into a log, sealing in the fruit. Roll both ends of the log toward the middle and smooth it over into a ball.

Step 9

Place dough ball into a short, wide paper panettone mold. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until dough is at least 2/3 of the way up the sides, 3 to 4 hours.

Step 10

Mix egg and water together and brush mixture on top of the panettone. Cut 2 slits crosswise on top.

Step 11

Bake in the preheated oven until beautifully browned, 40 to 45 minutes. Poke 2 skewers through either side of the panettone and flip it over into a panettone hole or a Dutch oven. Let cool upside-down for 2 hours.

Step 12

Pull out the skewers and slice into pieces.