Panettone for the Home Table

Set out g dark raisins, g candied orange peel, and g candied lemon peel before you start Panettone for the Home Table. The batch is written for 8 slices.

Count on 1 hour of prep, 40 minutes of cooking, 5 hours of resting, about 7 hours from the first measurement to the plate.

Ingredients Method

What goes in the bowl

Soaker

• 121 g dark raisins
• 39 g candied orange peel
• 39 g candied lemon peel
• ½ orange zested
• 1 lemon zested
• 78 g water or you can use the juice from the citrus above
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

Levain Build

• 62 g bread flour or ap flour
• 62 g water
• 93 g active sourdough culture

Final Dough

• 375 g all-purpose flour
• 216 g levain all the levain build from above
• 225 g egg yolks approximately 10 eggs
• 1 ½ teaspoons instant yeast
• 1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt
• 120 g granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 5 g diastatic malt powder
• 113 g unsalted butter
• soaker from above
• Belgian pearl sugar for topping
• egg for topping

How the cooking goes

1. Stir the soaker: Combine all the ingredients for the soaker in a covered container. Mix to moisten and keep it to one side at ambient temperature. Let sit overnight or longer, shaking or stirring every few days.
2. Build the levain: Five hours before you want to mix the dough, feed the starter in the ratio listed above. You can either make the exact amount listed and feed your starter separately or make 1.5-2x the amount above to ensure you have enough left over to feed. Let ferment 5 hours in a warm spot (85°F) or longer if it is cooler.

Mix the dough

1. In the bowl of a electric mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine all-purpose flour, levain, egg yolks, instant yeast, salt, honey, and diastatic malt powder. Mix on low to combine then develop some gluten on medium speed before slowly adding in the sugar in batches.
2. Once the sugar is incorporated, add the ambient temperature butter.
3. Once the butter is incorporated, add the soaker then mix in on low speed.
4. Turn out into an oiled bowl, cover and bulk ferment (proof) for 4-5 hours in a warm spot (85°F) or longer if it is cooler.
5. Pre-shape round by folding all 4 corners into the center, flipping it over (seam side down) and tightening into a ball by pulling towards you with both hands. Cover with plastic wrap then let it bench rest 10-15 minutes to relax the gluten.
6. Final shape into a round boule by flipping the seam side up, folding all 4 corners into the center. Flip it back over seam-side down and tighten into a ball with a smooth top by pulling towards you with both hands.
7. Set each boule seam-side down in panettone papers. You can final proof in a warm spot for 4-5 hours or until the dough reaches the top of the panettone paper, or, for the best flavor, proof at ambient temperature for 1 hour and then refrigerate, covered, overnight.
8. If you proofed the panettone in the refrigerator overnight, you will then want to final proof for 3-4 hours at ambient temperature.
9. Heat the oven to 350°F, and once the dough has risen to the top edge of the panettone papers, beat an egg until loose and liquidy. Gently brush the top of the dough with the egg wash and sprinkle on Belgian pearl sugar crystals if desired.
10. Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F for 40-45 minutes. The internal dough temperature should be 185°F.

After it comes off the heat

Wait until the loaf is cool before slicing. Wrap it at room temperature, and freeze slices you will not eat in a couple of days.

If you want another plate from Sourdough, open Cherry Sourdough Bread with a Slow Rise and Sourdough Raisin Bread with a Slow Rise.