Learn to make the Italian Christmas bread called Panettone.I feel that various types of Christmas bread and desserts are mostly made with dried fruit mixtures.Probably because a variety of fruits give a sense of abundance!In this bread, I soaked the fruit the night before, and the dough went through three rounds of low-temperature fermentation, which was really time-consuming but worth it for the finished product's texture like egg custard!Main ingredients: 235g high-gluten flour (for the starter), 11g instant dry yeast (for the starter), 188g water (for the starter),235g high-gluten flour (main dough), 80g egg yolk, 3.5g salt,94g butter, 80g sugar, 9g milk powder: an appropriate amount of powdered sugar for decoration, 50g dried cranberries, 50g raisins, mixed candied orange zest/100g lemon peel, 40ml fresh orange juice, 40ml fresh lemon juice, 50g peeled almond pieces, 13g rum, 1.5g nutmeg powder, 3g lemon peel shreds, 3g orange peel shredsMethod:1. Put the dried cranberries, raisins, mixed candied orange zest/lemon peel, chopped almonds, and lemon and orange peels in a large bowl.2. Add 40ml of fresh orange juice and 40ml of fresh lemon juice.

3. Add 13g of rum and 1.5g of nutmeg powder.4. Mix well, cover with plastic wrap, and let sit for several hours or overnight to soak.5. Prepare the starter dough: mix 235g high-gluten flour, 188ml water, and 11g instant dry yeast.6. Knead into a dough.7. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for about an hour; I used the oven for low-temperature fermentation.8. Add to the risen starter dough: 80g egg yolk, 3.5g salt, 80g sugar, 9g milk powder, 235g high-gluten flour (main dough).9. Knead until smooth and uniform; I used a stand mixer.10. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size.11. Add the softened butter at room temperature, knead until smooth and uniform.Here, you do not need to fully develop the dough as fruit will be added later.

12. Add fruits.13. Knead evenly.14. Roll the dough into a ball, place it in an oiled mold that has been lightly pressed down, and ensure you have enough height by adding parchment paper if necessary; I used an 8-inch round mold as my recipe was for a 7-inch high 12cm round mold.15. Let rise until almost full.16. Preheat the oven to 190°C and bake for about 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 160°C and bake for 70 minutes in total, making it a total of 80 minutes.The dough will rise; you can add a similar-sized mold if needed to control the shape.17. After baking, brush with melted butter; I brushed two layers, each absorbing once.18. Sprinkle powdered sugar for decoration.Tips:I used an 8-inch round mold as my recipe was intended for a 7-inch high 12cm round mold; to compensate, I added parchment paper around the edges of the mold to increase its height. If you follow this method correctly, use enough height to ensure even coloration and shape.Correct procedure: if your mold is not tall enough, stack several layers of parchment paper along the edge of the mold to add height.40 grams, skin removedApricotRaisin50 grams, rum13 grams, mace powder 1.5 grams, lemon zest 3 grams, orange zest 3 grams

Method:

1. Mix dried grapes, cranberries, mixed candied orange/lemon peels, chopped almonds, lemon and orange peel into a large bowl.

2. Add 40 grams of lemon juice and 40 grams of orange juice.

3. Add 13 grams of rum and 1.5 grams of mace powder.

4. Mix well, cover with cling film, and let it sit for a few hours. It can also be soaked overnight for better soaking.

5. Prepare the starter dough: high-gluten flour 235 grams, water 188 grams, and instant dry yeast 11 grams.

6. Mix into a dough.

7. Cover with cling film and let it rise in a warm place for an hour. I used my oven.OvenLow-temperature proofing

8. In the risen dough, add all main dough ingredients except butter (egg yolk 80 grams, salt 3.5 grams, white sugar 80 grams, milk powder 9 grams, high-gluten flour 235 grams).

9. Knead into a smooth and even dough using a stand mixer.

10. Cover with cling film and let it rise in a warm place until doubled in size.

11. Add softened butter at room temperature (94 grams) and knead to make a smooth and even dough.Do not knead fully as membrane development, because dried fruit will be added later.

12. Add the dried fruits.

13. Mix well.

14. Shape the dough into a ball and place it in an oiled mold that has been flattened slightly.

Special note: I used an 8-inch round mold because the recipe was designed for a 7-inch high, 12 cm tall mold. I thought it would be enough but ended up adding oil paper stacked around the edges to make the mold taller.

15. Rise in a warm place until about 80% full.16. Preheat the oven to 190 degrees for about 10 minutes, then lower the temperature to 160 degrees and bake for another 70 minutes, totaling 80 minutes of baking time.The dough started to rise excessively; to correct this, a mold with the same diameter was added on top.

17. When done, brush with melted butter (beyond recipe quantity: 25 grams). Apply two layers for better absorption.

18. Sprinkle with powdered sugar as decoration.

Tips:

I used an 8-inch round mold because the recipe was designed for a 7-inch high, 12 cm tall mold. I thought it would be enough but ended up adding oil paper stacked around the edges to make the mold taller. The dough may rise excessively; using a mold with the same diameter on top can correct this issue.

Correct operation: if the mold is not high enough, use folded parchment paper and wrap it around the edge of the mold to increase its height.