Sweet and bready with a hint of rum, this mile-high Italian take on fruitcake may just become your new favorite. For perfect browning, be sure to use a panettone mold for baking—they’re available at most specialty food stores. For more holiday recipes, look to our Not-So-Traditional American Fruitcake and Stollen recipe, a German Christmas yeast bread.
Panettone
Makes 1 (6-inch) Panettone
Ingredients
- 1 cup (196 grams) dried apricots, chopped
- ½ cup (72 grams) dried cranberries
- ½ cup (70 grams) raisins
- ¼ cup (48 grams) dark rum
- ¼ cup hot water
- ⅔ cup warm water (105° to 110°)
- ⅔ cup (140 grams) granulated sugar, divided
- 1 teaspoon (3 grams) active dry yeast
- 5 cups plus 2 tablespoons (718 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon (18 grams) honey
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon (5 grams) vanilla bean paste
- 1 orange, zested
- 2 teaspoons (12 grams) kosher salt
- 10 tablespoons (150 grams) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 tablespoon (15 grams) cold butter
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine apricots, cranberries, raisins, rum, and ¼ cup hot water. Cover and let stand for at least 8 hours or overnight.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine ⅔ cup warm water, 1 tablespoon (12 grams) sugar, and yeast. Let stand until mixture is foamy, about 10 minutes. Add flour, honey, eggs, vanilla bean paste, zest, salt, and remaining sugar. Beat at medium-low speed until combined. Add softened butter, 1 tablespoon (15 grams) at a time, beating well after each addition. Increase mixer speed to medium-high, and beat until a smooth and elastic dough forms, about 8 minutes.
- Drain fruit, discarding liquid. Reduce mixer speed to low. Add fruit, beating just until combined.
- Spray a large bowl with cooking spray. Place dough in bowl, turning to grease top. Cover with a tea towel, and let stand in a warm, draft-free place (75°) until puffed, about 2 hours. Transfer dough to refrigerator, and refrigerate for 12 to 15 hours.
- Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. Shape into a ball by folding the corners of the dough into the center. Spray a 6-inch panettone mold with baking spray with flour. Place dough, seam side down, into mold. Cover with a tea towel, and let stand in a warm, draft-free place (75°) until dough nearly reaches the top of the mold, 4 to 8 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Place panettone on a baking sheet. Using a sharp knife or lame, make a large “X” across top of the loaf. Place cold butter in the center.
- Bake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 1 to 1½ hours, covering with foil to prevent excess browning, if necessary. Remove from oven, and insert 2 long wooden or metal skewers into the base of the loaf (about 2 inches from the bottom). Hang the bread, upside down, from a deep stockpot to let cool completely, 30 minutes to 1 hour. (This prevents it from sinking.)
I am in the midst of mixing it, and it seems like a lot of flour for the amount of wet ingredients (and compared to other recipes for panettone). Can you let me know?
The recipe looks great, but I now worry about the amount of flour. Thanks!
Hi Linda!
Thanks for reaching out! You should have ended up with an average dough in consistency. How did it turn out? We hope you loved it!