Panettone and its brioche-style dough is a timeless holiday classic! Although the Milanese pastry is traditionally made with candied fruit or raisins, there are endless bold, mouth-watering varieties out there: think chocolate, cream, caramel, or infused with a dash of liquor. Each variety is deliciously unique! Here’s a recipe for a maple-flavoured panettone that is sure to bring everyone together.
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes
Rest time: approximately 4 .5 hours
Portions: 1 panettone
INGREDIENTS
Maple-macerated fruit
125 ml (½ cup) dried cranberries
60 ml (¼ cup) currants
Zest and juice of 1 orange
60 ml (¼ cup) maple syrup
1 vanilla pod, split and scraped, or 5 ml (1 tsp.) vanilla extract
Brioche dough
750 ml (3 cups) all-purpose flour
5 ml (1 tsp.) salt
125 ml (½ cup) warm water
10 ml (2 tsp.) active dry yeast (traditional)
2 eggs, beaten
80 ml (1/3 cup) unsalted butter, softened and diced
Topping
10 ml (2 tsp.) butter
1 egg yolk mixed with 5 ml (1 tsp.) of water for the egg wash
Maple sugar (to taste)
PREPARATION
Step 1
For the macerated fruit: in a small saucepan, bring all the ingredients, except the vanilla, to a boil. Simmer a few minutes, remove from heat, and add the vanilla. Let cool.
Step 2
For the brioche dough: In a small bowl, mix the water and yeast. Allow to rise 5 minutes.
Step 3
In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Add the yeast mixture, eggs, and macerated fruit blend. Knead by hand or using the stand mixer (dough hook attachment), until smooth, about 10 minutes. Add the butter and knead until smooth, supple, and stretchy.
Step 4
Transfer to a clean bowl, covering with cling wrap, and let rise at room temperature for about 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until the dough has doubled in size. Degas the dough, gently reshape into a ball, and cover again with a new cling wrap. Let rise for another 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until the dough has doubled in size.
Step 5
Shape the dough into a ball and place it in an 8-inch (20 cm) round cake pan with removable bottom, buttered and lined with parchment paper on the inner edge, coming out about 3 inches (7.6 cm), or in a pan specifically made for panettones (available in certain kitchen accessory stores). Cover with cling wrap and let rise about 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until it has tripled in size. At this point, your panettone is delicate. Handle it with care to avoid deflating.
Step 6
Preheat over to 190°C (375°F.)
For the egg wash: Generously and gently coat the top of the panettone with the water and egg mixture. Sprinkle with maple sugar. Using scissors, make light, x-shaped incisions on the top of the panettone and insert chunks of butter. Cook in the oven for approximately 35 minutes, or until golden. Allow to cool 3 to 4 hours in the cake pan. Because the crumb is very moist, make sure to cool completely before unmoulding, or the panettone may collapse.
Nota: To achieve the stretchy crumb texture that panettone is known for, you need to let the panettone cool upside down in the cake pan. To stretch the dough, insert wood skewers on each side (make a small incision in the top part of the parchment paper to insert the sticks into the cake) and hang it over a large pot, leaning the sticks against each side of the pot.
