Panettone

To prepare the panettone, start by making the first dough. Pour the malt 1, 65 g of granulated sugar 2, and 125 g of room temperature water 3 into a bowl.

Stir with a whisk until the sugar dissolves 4; then pour the syrup into a stand mixer fitted with a flat beater 5. Then add the 250 g of Manitoba flour all at once 6 and start mixing.

It will take about 5 minutes, and as soon as the dough has gained consistency 7, add 65 g of refreshed sourdough starter, refreshed 3 times throughout the day 8, and continue mixing at a moderate speed. Meanwhile, prepare a butter and egg yolk emulsion. Transfer 70 g of soft butter into a small bowl and work it with a hand whisk until a creamy consistency is reached. Add about half of the yolks 9 and mix.

Then add the remaining yolks 10 and mix again until you get a homogeneous emulsion 11. At this point, add half of it to the mixer in operation 12.

To facilitate absorption, use a spatula to detach the dough that remains stuck to the beater, and turn the mixer back on at medium speed. When the dough is dry and the butter has been completely absorbed, add the remaining butter and yolk emulsion 13. Work it again until you obtain a smooth and homogeneous dough 14, then transfer it to a work surface, using a dough cutter 15.

Shape the dough into a sphere 16, transfer it into a glass bowl, cover with food wrap 17, and let it rise for about 12 hours at a temperature of about 79°F until the dough has tripled in volume 18. Meanwhile, if you prefer to make the mandarin, orange, or lemon paste at home, see the box at the bottom.

For the second dough of the panettone, use a dough cutter to detach the first dough (risen) from the glass bowl and transfer it into the mixer, still fitted with a flat beater. Add 65 g of Manitoba flour 1 and start the machine at a moderate speed until it is completely absorbed. Then add the aromatic masses, namely the orange paste, the mandarin paste, and the lemon paste 2; then add the honey 3.

and the seeds of the vanilla bean 4. Turn the mixer back on until the aromas are fully absorbed 5. Meanwhile, prepare the emulsion again with 40 g of butter and 50 g of yolks, adding them in two parts as done previously 6.

As soon as your dough is elastic, stop the machine and add 50 g of sugar 7. Reactivate the machine for a few minutes and add a pinch of salt 8. Let it absorb and turn off the mixer again. Add the butter emulsion, still in two parts 9.

and finish working the dough until it is well tied 10. Meanwhile, soak the raisins 11 and cut both the candied citron and the candied orange into cubes 12.

At this point, drain the raisins well and pour them into a bowl, also add orange and citron, and mix 13. To be sure that the dough is ready, turn off the machine, take a portion of it, and if widening it with your hands it is thin but does not break easily, it means it has reached the right elasticity 14; if not, work the dough a few more minutes, otherwise, add the mixture of candied fruit and raisins into the mixer 15 and activate it again at a moderate speed.

When the mixture of candied fruit and raisins is well incorporated, turn off the machine, detach the beater, and let the dough rest for about 20 minutes inside the mixer bowl 16, covering it with a cloth. Then transfer it to a surface, give it some folds 17, and let it rest for another 30 minutes at room temperature 18; there is no need to cover it. Do not worry if the dough seems a bit sticky, use a dough cutter to help work it.

After 30 minutes, take 1050 g of dough, round it gently to give it a spherical shape, and transfer it to a 1 kg paper mold (the exact dimensions are 8.66 inches in diameter and 3.15 inches in height) 1. Use the remaining dough (about 150 g) to prepare two small panettones using muffin molds 2. Preheat the oven to 95°F, then turn it off, cover the panettone with a glass dome 3, and let the panettone and the small panettones rise in the oven for 6-8 hours.

Once risen, leave it uncovered at room temperature for about 30 minutes; this will create a thin skin on the surface. With a scalpel, make a cross incision 4 and place a knob of butter at the center of the cross 5. Bake at 347°F in static mode for 50 minutes; after 20-25 minutes, remove the small panettones and continue baking the panettone for the remaining time. Then remove it from the oven.

and pierce it with 2 steel skewers on the two outer edges 7. Let it cool upside down overnight, using two pots or two bowls of the same height to secure it 8. The next morning, turn it over, remove the skewers, and your panettone will be ready to enjoy 9!

If you want, you can make the citrus paste at home. To make the mandarin paste, first wash them 1 and remove the ends; then, without peeling them, cut them in half 2 and then into slices that you will need to halve again 3.

Transfer them to a pot and add the sugar 4, stir 5, and let them mature for about 15-20 minutes until the sugar has dissolved 6.

At this point, place on the stove and cook on low heat for 35-40 minutes 7. Once cooked, let cool slightly and blend everything with an immersion blender 8 until you get your mandarin paste 9.