Panettone with Poolish Sponge

Panettone is a typical bread of Milan, usually prepared and enjoyed for Christmas and New Year around Italy, and one of the symbols of the city. This cake-like bread is typically baked into a tall, cylindrical shape (empty fruit cans work great as baking pans). Traditionally, panettone is made with raisins and candied orange and lemon peel. But you can choose the dried fruits you prefer. The bread is delicious eaten fresh and keeps well in an airtight container for about a week. It also freezes well for up to two months.
Poolish is a fairly wet sponge with baker's yeast, typically made with a 1:1 ratio of flour and water by weight, that means 100% hydration.

1 package / 7 g Dry yeast
60 ml Water at 43C/110F
60 g German #550 flour ((AP or bread flour)
100 g Butter, room temperature
2 Eggs, medium
4 Egg yolks, medium
150 g Sugar

110 ml Milk at 43C/110F
Seeds of 1/2 vanilla bean
angiesrecipes
540 g German #550 flour (AP or bread flour)
1 tbsp Lemon zest
200 g Dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, cherries or apricots)
50 g Almond slices plus more for topping

To make the sponge, dissolve the yeast in 60 ml warm water in a bowl. Add 60 g flour and stir to make a very loose dough. Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for at least 6 hours, or overnight.
In the bowl of your mixer, combine the butter, eggs, yolks, sugar, milk, and vanilla seeds. Add in the starter dough. Gradually add the flour, beat on low speed just until dough begins to leave the sides of the bowl and pull together. Increase speed to medium, and beat until the dough becomes smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.
Place the dough in a greased bowl and turn it once to coat both sides. Cover bowl of dough with plastic wrap, and let rise on the kitchen counter until doubled in size (mine took about 5 hours). Or leave it in the fridge overnight. With your hands, flatten the dough on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle. Evenly distribute the lemon zest, raisins, apricots, and almond over the dough. Fold the dough to seal the fruit and knead to distribute the fruit throughout the dough.
Line a 8-inch mousse ring or baking pan (or panettone paper case) with parchment paper that has been well buttered on both sides and set it on a baking tray. Place the dough in the mould, cover with a towel, and let rise for 1-2 hours in a warm place. The key here is to have the rise above the rim of the pan or case.
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Make a cross on the top of the bread with a sharp knife and insert a cube of butter. Sprinkle some extra almond flakes if you desired. Bake the bread on the middle rack of the oven for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 180C/350F. Continue to bake for 30-35 minutes until the surface is golden and crispy. The panettone is ready when a skewer comes out clean.
Place the bread on a rack to cool for 10 minutes before removing it from the mold. Dust the bread with icing sugar if desired. Be sure the bread has cooled completely before wrapping for storage.

May your holidays be filled with lots of LOVE, HAPPINESS and PEACE!

36 comments:

gloriadelpilar_1994@yahoo.com 22/12/19 09:14: What lovely and yummy panettone dear Angie !!
Happy holidays for you and yours !
Evi Erlinda 22/12/19 10:14: This panettone is so perfect and beautiful!
Yum!
Nancy Chan 22/12/19 15:53: Beautiful panettone bread. Have a happy new week.
Liz That Skinny Chick Can Bake 22/12/19 16:09: Wow, this is gorgeous, Angie! It looks like it came from a fine bakery!! Merry, merry Christmas, my friend! xo
Natalia 22/12/19 16:12: Wow! This pannetone looks like heaven! I shoould finaly bake it, too. Merry Christmas everyone!
mary anderson 22/12/19 16:45: making the main meal is so difficult on weekend because they always want something new and this site is my hack lol thanks for making different recipes i can copy lol ��
Kitchen Riffs 22/12/19 17:09: Neat dish! I've never made panettone before -- always one of those things we buy once or twice a year (and of course always at this time of the year). Should give this a try -- fun recipe. Thanks!
Jean | DelightfulRepast.com 22/12/19 19:03: Lovely panettone, Angie--I wouldn't change a thing! I like bread so much more than cake anyway.
Agata 22/12/19 21:14: Yummy :) Your photos make me hungry :)
Iwona 22/12/19 22:00: I would like to taste it :)
Whats Cookin Italian Style Cuisine 22/12/19 23:27: fabulous and stunning looks like it came from a bakery in Europe amazing!
Motions and Emotions 23/12/19 07:59: A lovely recipe for Christmas... Texture is perfect
R's Rue 23/12/19 16:56: Yum.
Dahn @savorthebest 23/12/19 17:58: I love panettone! It also makes a fabulous French bread for breakfast. (Although the French would NEVER call what I am referring to as "French" ;)
Isabell's Kitchen 23/12/19 18:02: This panettone looks perfect! So soft and fluffy! You did a great job!
Tanza Erlambang 23/12/19 21:44: fabulous...
taste must be delicious...yummy
mjskit 23/12/19 23:23: How much for you to ship me on these. :) I totally forgot to pick up a panettone this year. I love them and yours looks exceptional! Thanks for sharing Angie and Happy Holidays!
Sherry's Pickings 24/12/19 04:33: i have never heard of poolish! what a great name. i'm a bit scared of using yeast i have to say. years ago i made something with old yeast and it didn't work of course so i've been chary ever since:-) have a wonderful festive season! cheers sherry
Jeff the Chef 24/12/19 14:08: This looks utterly tempting. I'd like it for breakfast, or as a midday snack, with a nice cup of tea. Merry Christmas!
Ely 24/12/19 16:38: My dear friend... *___* mmmyyy you're amazing!! That's wonderful, believe me! <3 Congrats, I would like a slice of this panettone now!! Merry Christmas, full of love, health, joy and beautiful things!! Love you!
Dawn @ Words Of Deliciousness 24/12/19 20:32: I lolve this bread, it is perfect for the holidays!! Angie, I wanted to wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!
Paula Montenegro 24/12/19 22:02: We eat panettone here like crazy for Christmas. This is a fantastic recipe! Merry Christmas Angie!
Evi Erlinda 25/12/19 07:30: Merry Christmas, Angie!
2pots2cook 26/12/19 09:02: Absolutely amazingly baked Angie. Shared with the world ! Happy holidays my dear !
coconut chutney 26/12/19 10:32: Merry Christmas,Angie..and this is one of my favourite recipe too
kitchen flavours 26/12/19 15:20: Lovely bread! Panettone is one of my favourite fruity bread!
Merry Christmas, Angie!
Królowa Karo 26/12/19 19:31: It looks phenomenal!
Sakuranko 26/12/19 20:41: Oh I love it how looks with the dried fruits
Amazing recipe like always
xx
Abbe@This is How I Cook 29/12/19 21:06: Wow! Here they sell it in a can, but I have never bought it. This version is gorgeous! And I bet mighty tasty!
tigerfish 30/12/19 02:43: I'm going to miss panettone for a while! They only carry panettone in the stores during the holiday season (you know I don't bake ) It's great to see you bake your own panettone - freshly homemade. Nothing beats that!
Debra Eliotseats 1/1/20 19:33: I have always wanted to try to make this bread. I have used store-bought panettone for French bread. That's a delicious holiday breakfast! Beautiful bread, Angie.
Roz | La Bella Vita Cucina 2/1/20 00:38: Panettone is such a wonderful sweet bread and I love all of the various flavors that are offered. Homemade must be SO MUCH BETTER than a store bought panettone! Thank you for the step by step photo instructions -- so helpful!
Happy New Year my friend!
Roz
xo
Izaa 4/1/20 09:27: beautiful!!!!
Pame Recetas 7/1/20 14:41: Looks absolutely amazing !! I must try it next Christmas!!
Torviewtoronto 12/1/20 02:58: looks beautiful hoping to try this recipe thank you for sharing
Noob Cook 29/1/20 06:02: They look really festive and pretty!