Holiday Yeast Baking- Panettone & more!

I managed to outdo myself in the baking department this holiday season! Here's a list of everything I baked post-Thanksgiving:

My Grandmother's Honey Cake
Mandelbrot (Jewish almond biscotti)
Chocolate Pretzels (better the next day)
4 double recipes of Gingerbread Cookie dough
1 Gingerbread house
3 Gingerbread family portraits
3 dozen Dinner Rolls
2 Panettone
6 doz Chocolate Cookies
a double recipe of Gayle's Apricot Chocolate Fruitcake
2 doz molded Springerle on edible rice paper
3 doz Brownies

I really didn't intend to bake so many things, but sometimes one thing leads to another ..... and you want to make what you know your friends and family will enjoy during the holidays. Certainly by the new year everyone is ready to cut back and abstain for a while, but my fans have requested a panettone blog, so here it is! I will tackle the rest of my holiday endeavors in another post.

On Christmas day we had the pleasure of sharing dinner with our friend Bill, an amazing nonagenarian (ninety plus years), his granddaughter Ilaria, and her boyfriend Ramon. Bill recently had to have a redo on his hip replacement and is currently housebound, which is not his usual state of affairs. Ilaria's mother Ann  (of lemon risotto fame) grew up in Palo Alto, but has lived in Italy for almost fifty years, since marrying her husband, Pier Paolo. When Ilaria and I were discussing our dinner menu, she mentioned panettone, which is traditional for an Italian Christmas. Inspired by a recent day of baking with my friend Robert, an ardent Italian baker, I managed to squeeze the panettone in between the San Francisco Smuin Ballet overnight field trip and the Christmas Eve trip to Modesto, but ended up starting it's final rise about 2 am on Christmas morning.

Enthralled with the new edition of Carol Field's The Italian Baker, I decided to step up to the challenge of her classic recipe for panettone, despite the triple rise requirement. All went fairly well, although the dough did seem a bit slow to rise, until my fateful 2 am assignation. Unfortunately, a little mouse with the initials T.P.E. had been into my raisin supply, and when it came time to add the dried fruit and flavorings prior to the final rise, I appeared to be a day late and a dollar short, as it were. And, even I was unwilling to venture out to find an open grocery store at that time of the night (day?) on Christmas! Rifling through the cupboards and freezer I managed to assemble a combination of chopped dried cherries and peaches, blanched almonds, and a few sad looking raisins. Good thing that I had rushed out to Sur La Table on Christmas Eve for the paper panettone molds! As usual with an adhoc recipe adjustment, the results were pretty yummy!

This recipe is excruciatingly long, so bear with me, and know that the results are worth the effort. (On this the Picky Eater agrees with me. Of course, she wasn't the one doing the grunt work, she just did the eating.) Read through the entire recipe before you begin so that you can plan your timing for this. There are several potential resting points when the dough can be refrigerated for hours, overnight, or longer. You can mix this dough by hand, but I wouldn't think of doing it without the assistance of my trusty Kitchen Aid mixer.

Panettone adapted from The Italian Baker
Makes 2 panetonni
Sponge
2 1/4 tsp. dry yeast (one of the triplet packets you get at the grocery store)
1/3 c. warm water
1/2 c. unbleached flour
Stir the yeast into the water in a small bowl; let it stand until it looks creamy, about 10 minutes. Stir in the flour and cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Let the sponge rise until doubled, about 20-30 minutes.
First Dough
2 1/4 tsp. dry yeast (2nd of triplet packets)
3 Tb warm water
2 large eggs, at room temperature (very important! The dough needs to stay warm)
1/4 c. sugar
4 oz (one stick) unsalted butter, also at room temperature (see admonition above)
In the bowl of an electric mixer, stir the yeast into the water and let it stand until creamy, again about 10 minutes. Add the sponge, eggs, flour, and sugar and mix with the flat paddle attachment. Cut the butter into smallish chunks, add it to the dough, and mix until the dough is smooth, about 3 inutes. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rise until doubled, about 1 - 1 1/4 hours. (Please be patient here! It may take longer, but make sure that the dough does actually double.)
Second Dough
2 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
3/4 c. sugar
2 TB honey
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
8 oz (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 c. unbleached flour
Using the mixer again, add the eggs, egg yolks, sugar, honey, vanilla, and salt to the first dough and mix well with the paddle attachment. Add the additional butter and mix until smooth. Add the flour and mix until even smmother. The dough will be soft. Change to the mixer's dough hook attachment and knead on medium low speed until smooth and soft, about 2 minutes. Finish by kneading the dough on a lightly floured board, using as little additional flour as necessary.
First "Official" Rise
Place the dough in a largish size lightly oiled bowl, cover tightly with plastic, and let rise until tripled, 2 1/2 - 4 hours. It can also rise overnight at a cool room temperature (65-68 degrees- No, the refrigerator is too cold.)
Filling
1 2/3 c. golden raisins (or, in my case the equivalent mixture of dried fruits- peaches, apricots, cherries would all be good, plus
1/2 c. blanched almonds, if you happen to have some kicking around
1/2 c. chopped candied orange peel (Luckily, The Picky Eater had just made me a batch from this Smitten Kitchen recipe (sans the chocolate) http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2006/11/candy-girl/
Grated zest of 1 orange & 1 lemon
2-3 TB unbleached flour
About 30 minutes before the end of the first rise, soak the dried fruits in cool water. Drain and pat dry. Cut the dough in half on a floured surface. Toss the dried fruits, nuts, and citrus peel together with the 2-3 TB of flour. Pat each piece of dough into an oval and sprinkle with a quarter of the fruit mixture. Roll each piece up into a log, then gently flatten each one again to create as much surface area as possible, sprinkle with the rest of the fruit mixture and roll them up again.
Shaping & the Second Rise
Shape each dough log into a ball and slip them into well-buttered 6" x 4" paper panettone molds or 6" high (2 pound) buttered coffee cans lined on the bottom with parchment paper. (These can also be baked in 2-quart size souffle dishes or a springform pan, but they will not rise as high or be as lightly textured.
Cut an "X" in the top of each loaf with a pair of floured kitchen scissors. Cover the loaves with a towel and let them rise until doubled, at least 2 hours (and maybe more.) You might want to turn your oven on to warm up your kitchen a bit.
Baking
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the loaves on a baking sheet, recut the the "X"s, and place the baking sheet on the middle rack of the oven. After 10 minutes, turn the oven temperature down to 350 degrees and bake until a bamboo skewer comes out clean when inserted in the middle, at least 30 - 40 minutes longer. (Check on the baking after about 30 minutes- you may need to cover the loaf tops with foil to keep them from browning too much.)
Cool the loaves on a rack for 30 minutes. To prevent the panettoni from collapsing, lay them on their sides on a pillow covered with a towel until they are completely cool- as is if they are in paper molds or unmolded if baked in coffee cans or pans.
Rumor had it that panettone is actually better on the second day, and believe it or not, it is. Wrap tightly in plastic and keep at room temperature for up to three days (if it lasts that long!)

Panettoni resting on a pillow awaiting ingestion

If you want to experiment with something a little less strenuous but also tasty, try this chocolate panettone. The best batch I ever made was the one where I miscalculated and doubled the eggs and butter!

Chocolate Almond Panettone
Makes 2 loaves.
4 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
1 pkg. yeast (2 1/4 tsp as in the previous recipe)
3/4 t. salt
3/4 c. milk
1/4 c. water
1/2 c. butter, cut in pieces
4 eggs
1/2 c. chocolate chips
1/2 c. blanched almonds, chopped & toasted

In a large mixer bowl, combine 1 1/2 c. flour, the sugar yeast, and salt. Heat the milk, butter, and 1/4 c. water until warm. Gradually add liquid to the dry ingredients. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed. Add 3 eggs and 1/2 c. flour, beat 2 minutes at high speed. By hand, stir in enough flour to make a stiff batter ( may take more than 4 c. total).
Cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Stir the batter down with a spoon. Add the chocolate chips and almonds. Divide batter in half; put each half in a well-greased 14-16 oz. coffee can. (We have also been known to bake these in buttered unused flower pots with a piece of foil covering the drainage hole.)
Cover, and let rise again until the batter comes within 1/2” of the rim, about 30-45 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350°.
Beat remaining egg with 1 Tb water, brush over top of dough. Bake on the lowest oven rack for 35 minutes, or until done. Let loaves cool in cans 5 minutes, remove from cans and cool completely on a rack.

One final word on panettone. One of our favorite stories when The Picky Eater was small was Tony's Bread, Tomie de Paola's version of the origins of panettone, as the story goes, created by a simple village baker to impress the sophisticated palates of Milano when he and his beautiful daughter join her besotted noble fiance there.
Basta on panettone!! Let me share with you our traditional dinner roll recipe, baked religiously (probably the only "religious" thing that I do) for all major holiday meals. Take my advice- make a double recipe and save 1/3 of it for cinnamon rolls the next day!

Ultimate Dinner Rolls
I am generally opposed to the America’s Test Kitchen philosophy, but sometimes that crew really hits the mark – as in this case.
(Note: America’s Test Kitchen recommends making the dough two days ahead, forming the rolls, and letting them refrigerate for 24-48 hours. If you have room in your refrigerator!)

¾ c. whole milk
8 Tb butter, melted
6 Tb sugar
1 ½ t. salt
2 eggs, room temperature
2 ¼ t. rapid rise yeast
3 1/2 c. unbleached flour
Warm the milk and 6 Tb butter together. Pour into the bowl of an electric mixer and add the sugar and salt. Let cool to 90-100˚, then whisk in eggs and yeast until combined.
Add the flour to the bowl and use the dough hook to mix it on low speed until it is combined. Increase the speed to medium low and knead the dough about 3 -5 minutes more. The dough should still be moist, but not sticky. Add a couple more tablespoons of flour if it still feels sticky. Continue to knead for about 5 minutes longer, until a cohesive elastic dough has formed.
Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and knead by hand for 1-2 minutes. Butter the interior of a medium size bowl, form the dough into a ball, and place it in the bowl. Rub the top of the ball with a bit of butter. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm draft-free location until doubled in volume, 2-3 hours.
Punch the dough down with your fist, and let it rest about 10 minutes. Form into the roll shape of your choice. (We like snail rolls – divide one recipe of dough into 16 pieces, roll each into an 8" long snake and twist up into a snail. See them in the picture of the resting panettoni.)  Place the rolls on a lightly buttered cake pan or cookie sheet, cover lightly with a buttered sheet of wax paper, and then cover that with plastic wrap. Refrigerate 24-48 hours.
The day you plan to serve the rolls, remove the plastic wrap from the pan and let the rolls rise in a cool room temperature location for 6-7 hours, until doubled in volume. Adjust the oven rack to the lower-middle position and preheat the oven to 400˚. Melt the remaining 2 Tb of butter and brush the rolls. Bake until deep golden brown, about 14-18 minutes. Serve warm.
Alternately, for making rolls on the same day, you can punch the dough down after the first rise, form the rolls as explained above. Let them rise until doubled, about 2 hours, and bake.
Makes 16 rolls. (From Cook’s Illustrated, Sept-Oct. 2006)

Day After Cinnamon Rolls
I usually get up early and start these rising before everyone else gets up on Christmas morning.
Makes 8 rolls
1/2 recipe of Ultimate Dinner Roll dough
1/2 c. sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 c. butter, melted
Optional: 1/2 c. raisins (only if you love them)
Icing
4 TB (1/2 stick) butter, softened
2 c. powdered sugar
4 TB milk or cream
1/2 tsp vanilla

Punch the dough down on a lightly floured board or piece of parchment paper while you stir the sugar & cinnamon together, adding more cinnamon to taste if desired. Roll the dough into a rectangle about 10" wide and 6" tall. Brush the dough with the melted butter and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar and raisins (if you're using them.) Start rolling the dough along the long side into a 10" log, pressing firmly as you roll. Cut the log into 8 equal pinwheel slices and arrange them in a buttered standard size pie plate.

Unbaked rolls rising nicely

Cover lightly with a sheet of plastic wrap and put in a warm place to rise until doubled (or maybe 1 1/2 times if you can't wait.)
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and mix the icing ingredients together. Bake the cinnamon rolls for about 15 - 20 minutes, until golden brown on top. Spread the icing over them while they are still warm, it will melt and ooze all over them. To avoid mouth burns, try to wait it until they have cooled a little before eating. Best eaten the day that they are baked.

Can a Non (practicing) Jew Make Challah?

Looks like challah to me!

That was the question posed by the Picky Eater's cousin Samantha vis-a-vis moi on a recent Friday Sabbath. Samantha is a fairly devout Jew, and is very concerned about my lack of interest in religion. So concerned, that she was skeptical about a "non-Jew's" ability to make challah. This extended to doubting that I could find a proper challah recipe, and she wanted to use a recipe from an unreliable (read purchased on sale from a book remainder bin) looking Jewish cookbook that had been handed down from my mother. When I drew the line there, we compromised by calling Anne and Samantha's friend and expert challah maker Sandy Goldberg. And, I have to admit that Sandy was good- even though she was up at Tahoe, she knew the ingredients and quantities for her challah recipe off the top of her head. Sandy even shared the secret of her success- she slightly underbakes her challah loaves.
Everything went well as we proofed the yeast, kneaded the dough, let it rise, braided, and baked the loaves. And they came out of the oven looking beautiful! I guess that you don't have to be seriously Jewish to make challah, or maybe you just need a Jewish girl as an assistant.

Samantha with a braided loaf ready for its second rise.

After Samantha muttered a prayer in Hebrew over the bread, we fell on the first loaf and wolfed it down. I left the second loaf to cool on the stove prior to wrapping and freezing it- and that was my big mistake. While we lounged around in the back of the house, Teddy the Wonder Dog grabbed the second loaf off the stove, and had devoured two thirds of it before I caught him. He took off with the remains of the challah and made a mad dash for the back bedroom where he sought refuge in a dark corner behind the chaise lounge, unrepentant to the end!

So, let sleeping dogs lie and stay on guard when baking challah!

The culprit- cornered but unyielding!

Sandy Goldberg's Best Ever Challah

Makes 2-3 loaves

2 Tb active dry (not rapid or quick rise) yeast

1 Tb sugar

1 cup warm water (100-110°)

7 ½ cups flour

1Tb salt

5 large eggs, at room temperature 

¾ cup honey

4 oz. (1 stick) butter, melted and cooled + 2 Tb butter to grease the bread bowl

Butter or oil to grease cookie sheets

Note: The most important rule for yeast breadmaking is like the story of the Three Bears- not too hot, not too cool, but just right. Be careful that all the ingredients are at room temperature or a little warmer, or the yeast will not rise. The same goes for the room where you let the dough rise- it should be cozy and warm too. Placing the bowl of rising dough near your stove with the oven turned on to its lowest temperature will work.

Mixing the yeast

Combine the yeast, sugar, and warm water in a small bowl. Allow the yeast to “proof” for about 10 minutes. It will start to bubble.

Making the dough

In a large bowl combine 7 cups of the flour and the salt. In a separate large measuring cup or medium bowl, whisk together 4 of the eggs, melted butter, and honey. Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in the yeast mixture followed by the egg mixture. Stir together with a wooden spoon until as much liquid as possible is combined with the flour, and then use your hands to mix in the loose bits of flour.

Kneading the dough- kneading pushes the yeast in the dough up against the gluten in the flour and makes the bread dough rise.

Sprinkle your work surface (i.e. counter) with the remaining ½ cup flour and turn the dough out of the bowl. Knead the dough by pushing the dough forward and down with your palms. Lift the dough and give it a quarter turn, then fold the half closest to you over, and push it again. Continue the rhythm of turn, fold, and push for about 10 minutes, until the dough feels soft and silky. Form the dough into a ball.

Grease the inside of a large bowl with the remaining 2 Tb of butter. Put the bread dough ball in the bowl upside down to grease the top, and then turn over. Make sure that the whole bread dough ball is buttered. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and then a clean dishtowel, and place in a warm spot in your kitchen to rise. Let the dough rise until double in size, about 2 hours.

Forming the loaves

After the dough has doubled, “punch it down” with your fist. Let it rest while you grease two cookie sheets with butter or oil. Cut the dough into either two or three pieces, depending on the size loaves that you want. Cut each piece into three pieces, and roll each piece into a rope about 14-16” long. Lay the three ropes side by side and braid tightly. Put the loaf on one of the greased cookie sheets, and form the remaining loaves in the same way. Lightly cover each loaf with a piece of plastic wrap or a clean dishtowel, and place them back in your warm spot. Let the loaves rise for about 40 minutes, until they are soft, puffy, and almost double in size. Remove the towels and plastic wrap.

Baking the challah

Arrange the oven racks in the upper and lower thirds and preheat the oven to 350°.  Beat the remaining egg with 1 Tb of water. Gently brush the top and sides of the challah loaves with the beaten egg. Bake for about 25-35 minutes, until the tops are nicely browned, taking them out when slightly underbaked.

Say a prayer (if you’re Jewish) and enjoy! Your extra loaf can be wrapped in plastic and foil and frozen. Defrost and reheat uncovered.