| MANGIA BENE PASTA |
| PANETTONE |
| Panettone, the tall, cylindrical, fruit-filled sweet bread from Milan has become an essential part of the Christmas season. You can make this bread two months in advance, wrap it tightly in heavy-duty foil and freeze it. Since the bread making begins with a starter dough, or sponge, and requires a long rising time, it is best to begin the process the evening before baking or early in the day. |
| There are many variations of a romantic legend about the origins of panettone. Supposedly, there was a Milanese baker named Toni who had a beautiful daughter. A young man who worked for Toni wanted to marry this daughter. In an attempt to win the father's approval, the young man created a special sweet bread, filled with fruits and other rich ingredients. The bread made Toni's bakery famous. People began to call the bread "pan ad Toni", or Toni's bread. Toni became wealthy and, needless to say, allowed the young man to marry his daughter. |
| During the Christmas season, Italians eat panettone at breakfast with coffee, between meals with Marsala wine, and after dinner with spumante. Leftover panettone can be toasted and spread with butter or mascarpone cheese for breakfast or used to make a wonderful French toast. We have provided two additional recipes for serving leftover panettone following the main bread recipe. |
| Panettone (Makes 1 large bread) |
| 1 package dry yeast |
| 1/4 cup warm water (110-115 degrees F) |
| 1/2 cup flour |
| 2/3 cup golden raisins |
| 1/4 cup grappa or brandy |
| 5 TB. butter, room temperature |
| 2 eggs |
| 4 egg yolks |
| 3/4 cup sugar |
| 1/4 cup warm water (110-115 degrees F) |
| 1 TB. vanilla |
| 4-1/2 to 5 cups flour |
| Grated zest of 1 orange |
| Grated zest of 1 lemon |
| 1/2cup chopped candied citron |
| To make the starter dough, or sponge, dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup warm water in a bowl. |
| Add 1/2 cup flour and stir to make a very loose dough. |
| Cover the bowl with a towel or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for at least 6 hours, or overnight. |
| In another bowl, combine the raisins and grappa, and let them soak for at least 6 hours, or overnight. |
| In a large bowl, combine the butter, eggs, yolks, sugar, 1/4 cup warm water, and vanilla. |
| Drain the soaked raisins in a strainer set over a bowl and press on the raisins with a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Set the raisins aside. |
| Add the liquid to the egg mixture. |
| Add the starter dough and mix well. |
| Gradually add the flour, mixing with your hands until a soft dough forms. |
| Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Add more flour as needed. |
| Butter a large bowl, place the dough in, and turn it once to coat both sides. |
| Cover with a towel and let rise for 6 hours in a warm place. |
| Butter and flour a panettone mold or other deep mold that is about 6 inches tall and 8 inches wide. |
| Punch down the dough and transfer it onto a lightly floured surface. |
| With your hands, flatten the dough into a large surface. |
| Evenly distribute the orange and lemon zests, raisins, and citron over the dough. |
| Fold the dough in half to enclose the fruit and knead to distribute the fruit throughout the dough. |
| Place the dough in the mold, cover with a towel, and let rise for 45 minutes in a warm place. |
| Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. |
| Cut an X in the top of the bread with a sharp knife. |
| Bake for 15 minutes. |
| Reduce the heat to 350 degrees F. and continue to bake for 30-35 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle of the bread comes out clean. Remove from oven. |
| Place the bread on a rack to cool for 30 minutes before removing it from the mold. |
| Be sure the bread has cooled completely before wrapping for storage. |
| Recipes using leftover Panettone |
| Orange Bread Pudding (Serves 8) |
| 6 oz. panettone, thinly sliced (about 8 slices) |
| 2 cups whole milk |
| 3/4 cup sugar |
| 1 cup heavy cream |
| 1/4 cup rum |
| 1/4 cup Marsala wine |
| 3 eggs |
| 2 tsp. grated orange zest |
| 1/2 tsp. cinnamon |
| Confectioners' sugar |
| Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a shallow 3 quart baking dish. |
| Layer the bread slices in the baking dish. |
| In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the milk and sugar. |
| Bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar. |
| Remove from heat and add the heavy cream, rum, and Marsala. |
| In a bowl, beat together the eggs, orange zest, and cinnamon. |
| Slowly stir in the milk mixture. |
| Pour the mixture over the bread slices, pressing the bread down to keep it submerged. |
| Let stand 10 minutes. |
| Place the baking dish in a larger roasting pan. |
| Pour hot water around the baking dish to a depth of 1 inch. |
| Bake for 30 minutes, or until a skewer inserted mid-way into the pudding comes out clean and the top is golden. |
| Cut into squares. Serve warm or chilled, sprinkled with confectioners' sugar. |
| Panettone with Mascarpone Sauce (Makes 2-1/2 cups sauce) |
| 1-3/4 cups whole milk |
| 1/3 cup sugar |
| 1 TB. flour |
| 1 egg |
| 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese |
| 1 tsp. vanilla |
| 1/2 tsp. grated lemon zest |
| Panettone slices |
| In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, heat the milk until bubbles form around the edge. |
| Remove the pan from the heat. |
| In a small bowl, combine the sugar and flour. Beat in the egg. Whisk in the hot milk. |
| Return the mixture to the saucepan. |
| Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the sauce comes to a simmer. Cook 1 minute. |
| Transfer the sauce to a small bowl. Stir in the mascarpone, vanilla, and lemon zest until smooth. |
| Serve warm over slices of panettone. |
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| You can bake panettone in these paper molds instead of a baking pan. Just place them on a baking sheet in your oven |