My Mind Patch: Panettone

My first panettone - soft and delicious 😊 Using a China Chef's recipe to bake a popular Italian Christmas bread. The chef used a different approach to prepare the panettone dough which shortened the preparation process for this sugar and butter laden dough.
I started preparing the sponge at 6.30 am, and finished baking around noon. The hot and humid tropical weather might have helped to accelerate the proofing process.
Please treat this as my first sharing, as I think I need to modify the amount of commercial yeast used, as well as the baking temperature setting. Don't scold me if your panettone doesn't turn up well 😉

Yield: 3 loaves
Paper mould size: 110⌀x85mm
Baking temperature: Preheat oven to 180℃. Bake at lower rack at 170℃ for about 25 to 30 minutes.

Fruits
43g sweetened orange peel
- prepare this in advance, soak in the orange syup, and refrigerate it till needed.
Click the link for the preparation of the candied orange peels 🍊

33g raisins
17g dried cranberries
43g yuzu drink
- soak dried raisin and cranberries in yuzu drink overnight. Drain in sift before use.

Sponge
63g top/low gluten flour
5g instant dry yeast (may reduce to 3g in next attempt)
6g raw sugar
5g whipping cream
58g water

- Mix the ingredients in a big mixing bowl following the sequence listed.
- Cover with a lid, and let it stand for about 2 to 4 hours. The yeasts strive well in our hot and humid weather, so the sponge can be ready within an hour. But I just followed the instruction and let it stood for close to 2 hours.

Butter-Egg Cream
72g unsalted butter, softened
72g beaten egg

- Beat softened butter till light and fluffy.
- Add the beaten egg in small portion to mix with the butter cream. Add the next portion after the previous beaten egg has been well mixed.

Cover the butter-egg cream, and refrigerate it for 30 minutes before use.

Bread Dough

Ingredients
200g bread flour
8g milk powder
45g caster sugar
Sponge from above
Butter-Egg cream from above
16g whipping cream
10g water

3g salt (to be added after gluten formed)

43g orange peel from above
68g soaked raisins and cranberries from above

Toppings
Egg wash
5g salted butter, softened
some sugar pearls, optional

Directions
1. Mix bread flour with milk powder before mixing the caster sugar, in the bowl of a stand mixer.

2. Next, add in the wet ingredients, starting from the sponge.

Followed by the butter-egg cream.

Add the whipping cream

And the water.

Mix the ingredients at Speed 1 of a stand mixer for about 5 minutes, increase to Speed 2 for about 4 minutes. Take a small portion of the dough to check whether a membrane can be seen when stretched.

If yes, add in the salt gradually to the kneading dough. Knead at Speed 1 for about 3 minutes. Increase to Speed 5, and knead for about 8 minutes.

Take a portion of the dough to check again. Pull out a membrane till it tears in the centre.

If the edge of the hole appear smooth, then the dough is ready. Otherwise, continue to knead a little longer and check again.

3. Add in the orange peels and soaked raisins and cranberries.

Mix at Speed 1 for about 5 minutes. Avoid over-kneading the dough.

Give the dough a few sets of "slap and fold" in the mixing bowl.

4. Shape into a ball and place the dough in an oiled mixing bowl. Cover and let it proof for about 60 minutes. The original recipe suggested 60 to 90 minutes.

To check for readiness, coat a finger with flour and poke at the dough near the edge. If the hole stays without closing immediately, the dough is ready for shaping.

4. Turn the dough onto a floured worktop, and divide it into 3 portions.

Shape into a ball.

And drop the dough into the paper mould.

Let the dough proof for about 45 minutes, or till the top reaching to about 2/3 of the paper mould height. The original recipe suggested 20 minutes, as it used a smaller paper mould.