White Chocolate and Prosecco Panettone
So my latest greed instalment brings you the flavour clash of Prosecco and Panettone! I’ve always loved the festive Italian bread and will pretty much eat anything that’s been steeped in booze beforehand so it seemed like the perfect combination! If Marks and Spencer’s can do winter berry and Prosecco flavoured crisps (complete with edible gold stars!) we can do Prosecco flavoured bread! Now I’ve used Paul Hollywood’s Panettone recipe as a base and made some adjustments as I went along.
Firstly a note on a Panettone tin. No need! An unnecessary expense and a ball ache to store the rest of the year around so I just used a regular cake tin (7 inches) with greaseproof baking paper tied around to support the bread as it bakes. You will need to ensure it is firmly attached to the tin however so I’ve taped and tied mine to keep it in place in the oven. In the unlikely event that you have empty cupboards crying out to be filled, you can find them here.
This is a two-day event so make sure you give yourself enough time as the dough really needs the overnight chill.
Ingredients 500g strong white bread flour 7g salt 50g caster sugar 14g fast action yeast 130 ml warm milk (Paul uses 140ml but there’s a bit of excess liquid from the Prosecco so I dropped mine down) 5 large eggs, room temperature (free range) 250g unsalted butter, softened 450g of any dried fruit, blanched almonds etc that you fancy. I used sultanas, cranberries, almonds and white chocolate buttons! 300ml Prosecco
For the Prosecco syrup: 50g Caster Sugar 50ml Prosecco
Method: 1. Place all of the fruit and nuts into a bowl a glug some Prosecco over it until all the mix is covered. It will look foamy. Leave covered in the kitchen for 2 hours. Note: I used some flaked almonds here however they went a little mushy, if you’re using flaked I would add them after the Prosecco has been drained off or just stick to whole.
2. Drain the fruit of the Prosecco and leave in a colander whilst you prepare the dough.
3. Place the flour, salt, sugar, yeast, milk and eggs into the bowl of your mixer that is fitted with a dough hook. Mix slowly for two minutes and then turn up to medium for 6-8 minutes. Or if you’re like me and don’t have a dough hook, you’re going to need to do this by hand. It’s a very wet dough so just use the one hand to mix to keep the other clean and free to add the butter. You want to get all the ingredients brought together into a soft dough.
4. Whilst keeping the mixer on a medium speed, add the softened butter in chunks. Again if you are doing this by hand, use one hand to mix and the other to add the butter. You will need to be patient to ensure all of the dough is properly incorporated into the dough evenly. It will be very soft, like brioche dough.
5. Add the drained fruits and mix evenly throughout the dough.
6. Tip dough into a clean bowl, cover with Clingfilm and place into the fridge overnight until firm enough to handle.
7. Prepare your tin as explained above and ensure it is well greased.
8. Take your dough from the fridge and knockback. Place inside the tin and leave to prove at room temperature for 2-3 hours until it’s risen over the lip of the cake tin. (No need to place anywhere warm as this disrupts how the yeast naturally works.)
9. Pre heat your oven to Gas Mark 4 / 180C.
10. Brush the top of the dough with a beaten egg. Bake for 25 minutes and then turn down to Gas Mark 2 / 150C and leave for another 50 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Keep checking at 5 minutes intervals if longer is needed as it can burn easily.
11. Carefully untie the baking paper from the tin and the remove the panettone and leave to cool on a wire rack.
12. To make the Prosecco syrup put the sugar and 50ml Prosecco into a pan over a medium heat. Stir until the sugar is dissolved and bring to the boil. Let it bubble for 3-4 minutes and then take off the heat. Pour over the panettone as it cools.
I like mine with a tiny bit of salted butter but it’s just as perfect bare!