Posted by Ah, Christmas. How did it sneak up on me this year? One day we were still in November (heaps of time), and suddenly it is Christmas day. I didn’t even put up a tree this year. But still, some traditions are still important to me. And one of them is panettone.
Yes, that Italian bread that is now perhaps even more popular in Australia. It works well on Christmas morning because, let’s face it, you are usually up super early (especially if you have kids) and it is often a long way until lunch. I love the beautiful, ornate panettone boxes. What I love less is how long they have been in the box. I mean, isn’t bread supposed to be fresh?
Panettone, made the proper way, involves a tricky sourdough yeast that is fermented and fed over several days. With buying an apartment and selling a house, while keeping little ones occupied in hot summer weather, I haven’t really had the patience to try this. One year. But to be honest, I quite like a denser bread that is more similar to a brioche than the drier traditional panettone. So this simpler recipe that uses my homemade orange peel does just fine. Even better it is easy to mix (or even bake) in a slow cooker.
My secret tip for this was procuring an old 1kg milo tin from a lady through my Buy Nothing Project group. Perfect! Now for that hot beverage, a slice of panettone with butter and it is Christmas day heaven.
Wishing you peace, joy and abundance this Christmas.
Ingredients
3/4 cup water
1/3 cup butter
2 medium/large eggs
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon bread improver
2 1/2 teaspoons yeast
2/3 cup currants (you can use sultanas, but I prefer currants or raisins)
1/3 cup walnuts, chopped
2 tablespoons candied orange peel, chopped
Method
- Add all the wet ingredients to the bowl of a breadmaker, and top with the dry ingredients. Place on the dough cycle. When your machine beeps, add the currants, walnuts and orange peel. After the dough cycle has completed, allow to rise longer – three hours in total.
- Punch the dough down. Grease a 1kg tin (e.g. a milo or coffee tin) and line with baking paper. Add the dough and allow to rise until it starts to peak over the top of the lid.
- Bake in a moderate oven until golden brown on top. Allow to cool, remove from the tine and then if gifted wrap in cellophane.
Looks good