Guava Marmalade Panettone

I think everyone has a traditional treat on their memory that idealizes the festive expressions for these holidays. Sometimes it’s hard enough to wait twelve months to savor their wonderfully delicious flavor. For me, having panettone for the holidays is a truly delight. It is one of the baking treats that give the real sense of Christmas time.

This year my version of panettone has a rich ingredient in flavor and aroma: guava marmalade. My first attempt to make something with guava turned it into a successful cheesecake. With the panettone wasn’t different. It was so moist and flavor, exactly the taste that brings all the comforting and good feelings.

Guava Marmalade Panettone

(adapted from the book The Modern Baker, Nick Malgieri)

Makes 1 tall 9-inch (23-cm) cake, about 16 servings or 8 mini and 1 medium cake.

SPONGE

4 teaspoons (about 1 ½ envelopes) active dry yeast

1/2 cup warm water, about 110°F (45°C)

3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

(spoon flour into a dry-measure cup and level off)

DOUGH

10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extraxt

3 large eggs

3 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

3 large egg yolks

1lb guava marmalade, cut into small cubes

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, for brushing the

panettone

 sugar for sprinkling

One 9-inch (23-cm) springform pan, buttered and lined

with a disk of parchment or buttered wax paper cut to fit/ or decorative panettone baking papers.

To make the sponge, whisk the yeast into the water in a small bowl. Thoroughly stir

 in the flour. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside while you prepare the

other ingredients, about 20 minutes.

2. Combine the butter, sugar, salt, orange zest, almond, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer. Place the bowl on the mixer with the paddle and beat on low to medium speed until well mixed, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating smooth after each addition.

3. Remove the bowl from the mixer (leave the paddle in the bowl) and scrape in the sponge. Place the bowl back on the mixer and beat on low speed until the sponge is incorporated. On lowest speed, beat in 2 cups of the flour. Beat in the egg yolks, beating smooth afterward. Beat in the remaining cups flour and continue beating until the dough is smooth, about 2 minutes. Stop the mixer and let the dough rest for 15 minutes.

4. Add the guava to the bowl and beat the dough again until they are evenly distributed—the dough will be very soft. Scrape the dough into a buttered bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise until doubled, 1 to 2 hours, depending on the temperature of the room.

5. Use a large rubber spatula inserted between the bowl and the dough to fold the dough over on itself, from the outside in, all around it. Invert the dough to a floured surface and round it slightly. Slide your hands under the dough and drop it into the prepared pan. Gently press the top of the dough to make it flat and even. Cover the pan with buttered plastic wrap and let the dough rise until it fills the pan, about 11/2 hours. 

6. About 20 minutes before the dough is fully risen, set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350°F (180°C).

7. Brush the

panettones with melted butter and sprinkle sugar. Bake the panettone until it is well risen, deep golden, and a toothpick or the point of a small knife inserted into the center of the cake emerges clean, about 40 minutes. Cool

the panettone in the pan on a rack for 5 minutes, then unmold it onto the rack, turn it right side up again, and brush it all over with melted butter. Cool the panettone completely.

    Storage: After the panettone has cooled, double wrap

it in plastic wrap and keep it at room temperature

for a few days. Freeze for longer storage. Defrost

and bring to room temperature before serving.

Panettone

The Christmas time is definitely my favorite holiday. How wonderful is the feeling that unites people to celebrate life, love and peace! And how delicious are the Christmas foods too. In Brazil, one of the most tradicional dessert is the Panettone. This unique holiday bread, originated in Italy, has a sweet aroma and vanila flavor. It is perfect to serve with a cup of coffee or tea.

The tradicional Panettones have candied fruits and raisins, and it’s also my favorite too. But you can find all sorts of alternatives flavoured Panettones, such as coffee, coconut, limoncello and chocolat. The chocolat panettone is so popular in Brazil that it is called “Chocottone”.

I took the recipe from the same book that I used to prepare the Brioches (Crust and Crumb, Peter Reinhart). As I like very much candied fruits and raisins, I doubled the amount written in the original recipe. The author gives two importante advices to intensify the flavor. The first one is to put the candied fruits and raisins in a vanilla extract and rum. This will keep them moist too. The other one is to use buttermilk instead of milk. This will give the best flavor.

    Merry Christmas!

Panettone

(From Crust and Crumb, Peter Reinhart)

Makes 1 very large loaf, several small loaves, or to 24 hot cross buns

Sponge

¾ cup unbleached bread flour

2 teaspoons instant yeast

1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature

Dough

41/3 cups unbleached bread flour

1/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

5 large eggs, cold

½ cup unsalted butter, softened

Sponge

½ cup golden raisins

½ cup dark raisins

½ cup rum

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup sliced almonds or walnuts

½ cup candied fruit

1 large egg for egg wash (optional)

To make the sponge, stir together the flour and yeast in a mixing bowl. Stir in the buttermilk and mix till smooth. Cover the sponge with plastic wrap and allow it to ferment at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours, till very bubbly.

If using dried fruit, soak it in rum and/or vanilla in a bowl while the sponge is developing.

To make the dough, combine all the other dough ingredients and the sponge in a mixing bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer with a dough hook.

Mix the dough on slow speed for 1 minute, then on medium speed for 5 minutes. Add the fruit and nut mixture and mix for an additional 2 minutes, or until the dough is soft and tacky, registers about 80°F on a probe thermometer, and passes the windowpane test. Pinch off a small piece and stretch it slowly apart, gently pulling and rotating it. You are trying to stretch the dough into a thin, translucent membrane or windowpane. Add water if the dough is too stiff or flour if it is too sticky. To make by hand, knead the dough on a well-floured counter with floured hands for about 15 minutes, adding the fruit and nuts during the final 3 minutes.

Mist the dough with cooking spray, cover it with plastic wrap, and allow it to rise at room temperature for 60 to 90 minutes, till it increases in size by 1 ½ times.

Use up to the full amount of dried and candied fruit and nuts, according to taste. For a single large loaf, grease a 9-inch round cake pan, and line the sides of it with a parchment collar that is about 2 inches taller than the pan. For smaller loaves, use smaller pans or simply make free-standing rounds. Form the finished dough into a ball and press it nearly to the edge of the prepared pan. Let it rise, brush with egg wash, and bake for about 60 minutes. When the loaves are baked, you may brush them with simple syrup made by boiling equal parts sugar and water for 1 minute. This will give the tops a shiny look.