Sweets around Italy: Pandoro and Panettone

Christmas decorations 

are everywhere....

streets and shops are 

beautifully decorated, 

but our attention 

is on the food...which sweets Italians 

eat for Christmas???

Certainly the Panettone, originally from Milan.

Here the recipe 

1/4 cup diced orange peel
1/4 cup diced lemon peel
1/4 cup diced citron (optional)
1/2 cup dark raisins
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup currants (optional)
1/4 cup dry sherry

Toss fruit in cherry; let stand 30 minutes. Measure flour, then combine drained dried fruit with the flour.

1 cup warm water (110°F)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs 
1/2 cup plain, nonfat yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Zest of one lemon
1/2 cup white sugar 

3 1/2 cups of flour

2 1/4 teaspoons dry yeast dry yeast 

In medium bowl, combine yeast, water, and sugar. Cover and let stand 10

minutes, or until foamy. Add eggs, yogurt, vanilla, lemon zest, and salt.

Mix well. Stir in flour (to which dried fruit has been added) 1/2 cup at a

time until dough forms a manageable ball. Turn out onto a lightly floured

surface and knead for 5 to 10 minutes, adding flour as necessary, until dough is soft and pliable but not sticky. 

Place dough in a large, lightly Pam-sprayed bowl, cover, and let rise in a 

warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and spray a round 8-inch cake pan with 

nonstick spray. Punch down dough. Form dough into a ball, place in 

prepared cake pan, cover loosely with dish towel, and let rise for 30 minutes.

 Brush with 1 tablespoon melted butter if desired. Bake on lowest rack in oven for 45 minutes, or until 

loaf is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Cover loaf with foil during last 15-20 minutes of baking to prevent 

over-browning. Makes 1 loaf.

The panettone is the most famous cake overseas during the Christmas seasons, nevertheless there are other typical cakes, such as the Pandoro,a specialty from Verona. This is a cake typically shaped like a frustum with a star section, often served dusted with vanilla scented icing sugar made to resemble the snowy peaks during Christmas.


Here the recipe from Mario Batali:

Yeast Mixture:

• 1/4 cup warm water
• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Cake:

• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 8 egg yolks, plus 1 egg
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 lemon, zested
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 cup water

Directions

In a small bowl, combine the water, yeast, sugar, 1 egg yolk, and 1/2 cup flour, and blend well. Cover with a damp towel and let rise in a warm place for 2 hours, or until doubled in bulk.

On a clean work surface, mound 3 of the remaining cups of flour and make a well in the center. In a medium bowl, beat together 4 of the egg yolks, 1/2-cup sugar, the butter and 1/2 cup water. Add the yeast combination from above and mix well. Pour the entire mixture into the flour well and gradually mix the flour into the liquids to form a sticky dough. Knead the dough for 5 to 10 minutes, or use the dough hook attachment on an electric mixer. The dough should remain somewhat tacky, unlike bread dough.

Grease or oil a large bowl and add the dough, turning to coat all sides. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 2 hours.

Punch down the dough and add the remaining flour, egg yolks, 1/2 cup water, egg, sugar and lemon zest and knead until blended, then knead for an additional 10 minutes on a floured work surface. Place in a greased or buttered bowl and cover with plastic wrap, then let rise for an additional 2 hours.

Butter and flour two pandoro molds or coffee cans. Punch the dough down, divide it in 2, and roll each piece into a ball. Place one ball in each of the molds, and let rise for 1 1/2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Bake the pandoro for 35 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Let rest for 10 minutes, then unmold and let cool completely.

In a small bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar and water and stir well. Drizzle the pandoro with the mixture and serve in wedges.