Sourdough Panettone?

 I am not sure if this post will pass the moderators: it contains dried yeast as well as sourdough as the rising agent.

More details and pix here.

Stage One (start the night before you wish to bake)

240g    dried fruit and peel
160ml  brandy 
Mix fruit, peel and brandy in a bowl and soak overnight.  Choose the mix of fruit that suits your taste (I use dried apricots, golden raisins and mixed peel for the flavour and golden colour I want). However, it is important to dice the fruit to match the size of the pieces of peel.


Stage Two
100g   plain white flour
100g   sourdough starter (I use a 50% water 50% starter)
7g       dried yeast 
a pinch of sugar
Mix the ingredients together and leave in a warm place to develop for about an hour.


Stage Three
125g    butter 
50g      sugar  
1 tsp    vanilla essence (or seeds from half a vanilla pod)
4 drops fiori di sicilia
2          large eggs
4          egg yolks
1/2 tsp salt
Blend together the butter and sugar until smooth.  Add the rest of the ingredients and continue to blend until smooth and well mixed.


Stage Four
500g   plain white flour

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, the eggy mix from stage three, the yeast mixture from stage two and the fruit (drained) from stage one. Once mixed, turn out onto a floured surface, and knead for fifteen minutes, until the dough is less sticky. Place the dough in an oiled bowl and put in a warm place for three hours to rise.

Stage Five

Divide the dough in half.  Knead briefly and place each half in a 154m / 750g panettone mould. Cover with cling film and leave in a warm place to rise.  This may take some time (approx 3 hours) but the dough should double in size. Give it more time if the rise is slow, as this is critical to the outcome. The dough will still be some way from the top of the mould, but will rise further when in the oven.

An hour before you wish to bake the panettone, heat the oven to 200C degrees. Bake for 20 mins, then place circles of greaseproof paper on top of the loaves and bake for a further 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Remove the loaves and brush the surface with molten butter or a sugar/water glaze.Place the loaves on a rack to cool - keep in the moulds. Once cold, wrap the loaves in plastic bags to keep fresh.