Braided Blonde Panettone

Hi!

Every once in a while I’m sent something for my blog that knocks my socks off.  And recently it was a bread machine cookbook, called 300 Best Canadian Bread Machine Recipes.  See I love bread.  If I could have it my way, and my hips didn’t mind, I would eat bread     all     the     time.  No kidding.  Especially warm with loads of butter…mmmmm

So I thought that perhaps I might like this book, and was I ever right.  I have made 5 recipes already from it (some of them more than once) and every single loaf of bread was amazing.  Delicious.

This book is so good that I wanted to get this post up right away because honestly, I think this book would make a great Christmas gift.

So in keeping with the Christmas theme on my blog this December, I wanted to share with you a festive bread recipe…Panettone.  Panettone, traditionally, is a bread originating from Italy, that is enjoyed at both Christmas and Easter.  This recipe is not a traditional panettone, but a tweaked version of it.

And panettone breads aren’t usually braided, but I braided this one because I don’t like the shape of the loaves that come out of the bread machine.  I like to use the bread machine to make the dough, then I shape the loaves and bake them myself.

This recipe is delicious!  And makes a fantastic french toast!

Braided Blonde Panettone

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• Yield: 1 loaf 1x

Ingredients

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• 1/2 cup milk (at room temperature)
• 2 eggs (at room temperature)
• 1/2 – 1 tsp salt (I always use less salt (so I added 1/2 tsp))
• 3 tbsp liquid honey
• 1/4 cup butter cut into 1 inch cubes
• 2 1/2 cups all purpose or bread flour
• 1 tbsp bread machine or instant yeast
• 1 tbsp grated orange zest
• 1 tbsp grated lemon zest
• 1 tsp anise seeds (I left these out)
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 1/2 cup mixed candied peel (see notes)
• 1/3 cup candied citron (see notes)
• 1/4 cup silvered almonds

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Instructions

1. Add all of the ingredients EXCEPT for the raisins, peel, citron and almonds, to the bread machine, in the order listed above.
2. If you are baking the bread in the bread machine, select Sweet Cycle.
3. Add the raisins, peel, citron and almonds at the “add ingredient” signal. OR

I did not bake my bread in the bread machine, so I selected the “Dough” cycle. Here’s How To:

1. When the dough cycle is up, remove the dough, and knead in the raisins, cherries and almonds.
2. Then let the dough sit on a floured surface for 15 minutes, covered with a bowl.
3. After this time, split the dough into 3 pieces, and roll it out into long ropes, about 1 inch thick.
4. On a parchment lined baking sheet, braid the ropes, pinching the ends together.
5. Let it rise, in a warm place covered with a tea towel, for 30-45 minutes, or until doubled in size.
6. In the meantime preheat your oven to 350.
7. When the dough has doubled in size, you can add an egg wash to make the crust shiny. Just mix together 1 tbsp water with 1 egg yolk, and brush the surface of the bread.
8. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes – until the bread sounds hollow when you tap the bottom.

Notes

Instead of the candied peel and candied citron, I added a generous 1/2 cup of chopped glace cherries.

Here are some of the other loaves that I baked from this book, and we loved!

So yum!  And such a good book!  I’m thankful to have been sent it…and anyone who loves their bread machine would love to have this book!

Have a delicious day!

Excerpted from 300 Best Bread Machine Recipes by Donna Washburn & Heather Butt © 2012 Robert Rose Inc. www.robertrose.ca All rights reserved: May not be reprinted without publisher permission.