Panettone is awesome for french toast
Every Christmas, New Years, and Easter I buy a panettone for our holiday special breakfast; this year I completely spaced out ordering the flavor we enjoy. When Sydney and DF started talking about Christmas French Toast; I figured I could go online and overnight a few. However I found they were out of our favorite flavor, panic began to set in. I had ruined our traditional Christmas and New Years breakfast.
Not only did I feel awful, but I did not have any idea how I was going to “come clean,” so to speak, with my family unit. Knowing I couldn’t put off telling them, it would be horrid if they found out on Christmas morning. I announced my forgetfulness; to my surprise they both proclaimed I should bake a homemade panettone. I hadn’t baked a homemade panettone in fifteen years, but thought why not. Teaching Sydney how to create a family traditional panettone would be exhilarating.
Panettone takes a few days to prep and prepare; we adore glacé fruit and thought why not add rum soaked raisins, dried cranberries and cherries.
Panettone with Rum Soaked and Glacé Fruit:
Yeast starter:
- 62 grams/ 1/4-cup warm orange juice, 38 degrees C/100 degrees F
- 9 grams/ 2 1/2 teaspoons fresh yeast
- 1-teaspoon sugar
Warm the orange juice, and in a small bowl pour the juice and whisk well. Crumble the fresh yeast over the juice mixture and rest at room temperature for 1 1/2 hours. The starter should bubble and swell.
Sponge:
- 9 grams yeast
- 183 grams / 3/4-cup milk
- 120 grams/ 1-cup flour
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 Tablespoon fiori di Sicilla
Prepare your mise en place.
Panettone mise en place; yeast sponge
Add all the ingredients into the sponge, whisk till combined and allow to rest at room temperature for 1 hour covered with plastic film.
Use a rubber spatula to combine the ingredients sufficiently
Once the sponge has rested for about 1 hour place in the refrigerator over night, to develop the flavor.
This is after 30 minutes of resting. By the next day the sponge should be quite active
Prepare the dried fruit with rum and cointreau and allow to soak over night.
The Glacé Oranges and Citron (lemons):
Glacé Citron and Oranges:
- 2 oranges
- 2 citrons (lemons)
- water
- 948 grams/4-cups water
- 1100 grams/ 5 1/2-cups sugar
- large bowl of ice water
Prepare your mise en place.
If you do not have a mandolin cut thin slices with a very sharp knife
Using the mandolin cut thin slices of the citrons (lemons) and oranges, in a medium pot fill enough water to cover the oranges and citron (lemon) slices bring to a boil. Keeping the slices covered boil for about 2 to 3 minutes.
With a slotted spoon remove the slices and immediately submerge in a prepared ice bath while preparing the syrup.
The slices should be submerged in the ice water to stop the cooking process
Place the sugar and water in a large heavy-bottom saucepan. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil, swirl the pan to dissolve the sugar.
Add the lemon and orange slices to the sugar water; allow the slices to boil, until the piths and are transparent.
Reduce the heat to low; do not allow the syrup to boil
Remove from heat, and let cool on a parchment paper lined jellyroll pan. Prepare the Cointreau glaze.
Glaze:
- 60 grams icing sugar
- 2 egg whites, fresh
- 2-teaspoons lemon juice
- ½ -teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1-teaspoon Cointraeu
Whisk in a large mixing bowl egg whites just to a light foam and whisk in icing sugar, lemon juice, vanilla extract and Cointreau (optional), till completely smooth.
Transfer to a measuring jug and slowly pour the glaze over the fruit, allow the icing sugar to drip. Let fruit stand over night.
While the sponge, rum soaked dried fruit, and glacé citron and oranges rest; you also should rest so tomorrow we may finish the panettone.
Voila!
