I spent the day yesterday moving domesticgothess.com from wordpress.com to self hosted wordpress.org. I say I moved it...but really I spent the day watching over his shoulder as my fiance did it for me and asking stupid questions...
It took a while, there were a few confusing moments and the site had a bit of downtime but we (he) got there eventually. I wanted to move to self hosted so I could use plugins and customise the site a little more so I will be having a play around and making a few changes over the coming weeks.
I also finally felt in the mood to do some Christmas baking yesterday, I haven't felt remotely christmassy yet this year and haven't even done any Christmas present shopping - I usually do it all in November.
The baking didn't make me feel any more christmassy, but I do love Christmas food and have been thoroughly enjoying the results nonetheless. My absolute favourite Christmas baked goods have got to be Christmas breads (how many times can I cram the word "Christmas" into a sentence...) my favourite being marzipan stollen (for which there will be a recipe next week) closely followed by panettone.
I came across the idea of baking mini panettone in food tins last Christmas but didn't get round to making any so thought it was high time I did this year.
Panettone is a traditional Italian Christmas bread shaped in a tall cylinder and flavoured with candied peel and orange and lemon zest; but I couldn't resist tweaking the original a little to include dried cranberries and crystallised ginger, two of my favourite Christmas flavours.
Empty 220g size tins are just the right size to make individual panettone in and I've been collecting half-size baked bean tins for a couple of months now for this very purpose.
The recipe will make six panettone if you are using these tins or you can use a muffin tray lined with large muffin cases and make about eight.
You can make large muffin cases (like the ones pictured) by cutting an approx 17cm square of greaseproof paper and making a pleat in the centre between each of the four corners; you can also buy extra large muffin cases and mini panettone cases.
This recipe is much simpler than a standard bread dough recipe as there is no kneading involved, although it does need three separate rises.
You start by mixing the yeast with some of the flour and sugar and some warm water and leaving it until it becomes frothy and has risen a little; then beat all the other ingredients together and mix them into the yeast with the rest of the flour, it will have the consistency of a thick batter.
It then needs to rise until it has doubled in size, give it a stir to knock the air out and divide it between the tins, leave to rise again until it has risen to the top of the tins then bake for half an hour. Easy!
The panettone turned out beautifully light, soft and moist with a delicious citrus flavour and a little bit of warmth and spice from the ginger and tang from the cranberries; they are so much nicer than the shop bought versions which tend to be on the dry side.
They are not overly sweet so make a delicious breakfast or snack with a cup of coffee and will keep for up to a week in an airtight container; they also look really cute in their tins wrapped with some ribbon and would make a great gift, maybe as part of a hamper of homemade goodies.
Makes 6.
(Please note: although I have provided a conversion from grams to US cup measurements I cannot guarantee the accuracy as I do not bake using cups, I thoroughly recommend investing in a digital metric scale, it is far more accurate.)
Ingredients:
- 50g (1 + ΒΎ oz) sultanas
- 50g (1 + ΒΎ oz) dried cranberries
- 7g (2 tsp) instant yeast
- 250g (2 cups + 2 tbsp) strong white bread flour
- 75g (β cup + 1 tbsp) caster (superfine) sugar
- 75g (β cup) soft unsalted butter
- 2 eggs plus 2 egg yolks
- Β½ tsp vanilla extract
- finely grated zest of 1 orange
- finely grated zest of one lemon
- 2 tsp runny honey
- 50g (1 + ΒΎ oz) candied mixed peel
- 50g (1 + ΒΎ oz) crystallised ginger, finely chopped
- ΒΌ tsp salt
- Icing (powdered) sugar for dusting
You will need 6 x 220g (8 oz) size clean, empty food tins (the half-size baked bean tins are perfect)
Put the sultanas and dried cranberries in a small bowl and cover with boiling water, set aside to soak until cold then drain well and pat dry with kitchen paper.
Put the yeast in a large bowl and mix in 115g (1 cup) of the flour, 15g (1 tbsp) of the sugar and 115ml (Β½ cup) lukewarm water to make a smooth batter. Cover with clingfilm and set aside for half an hour or so until foamy.
Beat the butter with the remaining 60g (β cup) of the sugar until smooth and creamy then beat in the eggs and extra yolks, the vanilla, honey, orange and lemon zest, peel, ginger, salt, sultanas and cranberries.
Add to the yeast mixture and beat well to combine then mix in the remaining 135g (1 cup + 2tbsp) flour, it will be more of a batter consistency than a dough.
Cover with clingfilm and leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour. (On cold days I heat the oven up to a low temperature then switch it off, open the door for a couple of seconds to allow some of the heat to dissipate, place the bowl of dough inside and close the door).
While the dough is rising, line the tins with greaseproof paper, large muffin cases or mini panettone liners. Stir the risen dough to knock out any air, then divide it between the tins. Loosly cover with clingfilm or a clean plastic bag and leave in a warm place until the dough has risen to the top of the tins, about 1 hour.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180Β°C/350Β°F/gas mark 4. Bake for 30 minutes (or 25 if you are making eight smaller panettone), until risen and golden, you may need to cover the tops with tin foil after about 15 minutes to prevent them from burning. Leave to cool in the tins for 5 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely, dust with icing sugar to serve.
(Recipe adapted from Leiths Baking Bible by Susan Spaull and Fiona Burell)
I am linking these to Totally Talented Tuesdays, Create Link Inspire , Showcase Your Talent Thursday, Foodie Fridays and Fiesta Friday
The Free From Fairy
I am going to have a go at making these gluten and dairy free! Been meaning to do it for a while...pinning now!!
hannahhossack
Wow! That's quite a challenge! Good luck, I hope they turn out well for you π
Kirsty Hijacked By Twins
These look lovely, my hubby would love them π x #TastyTuesdays
hannahhossack
Thank you π
Ginger
They look amazing - I've never made panettone before, so I am very jealous indeed!
Lucky you to have a fiance who can sort your blog out! How I wish my own boyfriend, who happens to be a computer scientist, would do that for me π
hannahhossack
Ha ha! It took a bit of prodding and he took a while to get round to it but I managed to get him to do it eventually! Thank you π the recipe is actually surprisingly simple - no kneading!
Steph @MisplacedBrit
Ooh my!! These are PERFECT!! Absolutely delicious and they COULD NOT be cuter than the serving suggestion you have above... WOW.
I love them! ...You can invite me over any time!!
hannahhossack
Thank you π Unfortunately I have already eaten the whole lot...which just means that I can bake more!
Steph @MisplacedBrit
How are you not on twitter?? π
Well I've scheduled a few tweets straight to your delicious recipe coming over the next few days π
hannahhossack
Thank you! I'm a bit slow at getting on to social media, I've been meaning to join twitter, I'll get there soon, I'm currently trying to get to grips with instagram and google+...
Sally Hossack
Clever girl. Nice touch using the food tins. Mumma xx
hannahhossack
Thanks ma π I've been collecting baked bean cans for months! xxx
lucyparissi
So beautiful Hannah! I love repurposing tins.... Well done with the wordpress move β I think I am going to have to pay someone to do it for me. Worrying of losing entire blog! Thanks for linking to #CookBlogShare your recipes are fantastic
hannahhossack
Thanks Lucy, there's no way I could have done the blog move myself, it's just a good thing my boyfriend is in IT!
nessjibberjabberuk
I love the look of these. I'm going to have to start collecting little tins now!
hannahhossack
I love re-purposing tins π
Kaila511
Beautiful! Christmas has been sneaking up on me this year too. (Although, I started shopping in November.) Happy FF, and have a wonderful weekend. π
hannahhossack
Thank you π Happy Fiesta Friday!
Giramuk's Kitchen
This looks gorgeous!! I love panettone but I've never tried making it myself! I'm pinning this so I can give it a go! I've been eyeing the panettone in the store - but I changed my mind and I'm going to try this instead π
I hope the move to .org happens smoothly! Website's looking great so far! I remember doing that move from blogger and I was unnecessarily stressed out! π haha!
hannahhossack
Thank you π Home made panettone is so much nicer than store bought! The move has gone fine, I'm just glad that I have a tech savvy boyfriend who could do it for me!
cookingwithauntjuju.com
Decorating my home and putting up the tree always gets me in the mood. Hard to forget when I see decorations everywhere! I love the idea of mini panettone - looks like I will have to start saving my tins for next year. I have only made stollen but we all appreciate these "little breads" you brought to FF #46 π
hannahhossack
I've just decorated my tree, it's helped a bit to get me in a christmassy mood. I LOVE stollen and have actually just baked one myself π Happy FF
milkandbun
In Russia we make similar bread, which called 'kulich' and we prepare it for Easter. π
Yours look really lovely! π
Cheers!
Mila
hannahhossack
Thank you! Kulich is on my list of breads to try making π
carolinescookingblog
I love panettone, I used to get them fairly often at an Italian coffee shop near where I worked when I lived in London but sadly don't see them where I am now so often. But maybe I will try making them now I have your recipe!
Michelle @ Giraffes Can Bake
I've been wanting to make panettone for a while but think it will have to wait until next year now. Which is a shame because yours looks so good, love the idea of baking them in baked bean cans!
hannahhossack
It can be difficult to fit in all the things you want to bake at Christmas! There is so much that I want to make... I've had to restrain myself or else I would be baking every day...
breakfastdramaqueen
I love the idea of making mini panettoni! Having one giant panettone is just so unyielding and cut to slice!
breakfastdramaqueen
Whoops, I meant 'hard to slice'. What I wrote didn't make any sense, oops!
lapetitecasserole
Being Italian, for me it's not Christmas without panettone! Your idea of making it with cranberries and ginger is very original.... I bet the taste must be great! Thanks for bringing this recipe to FF #46!
Julie is HostessAtHeart
I have wanted to make panettone, and look forward to doing so. I love your packaging! Thank you for explaining how you did it. These are going to make a very special gift!
Honest Mum
Love panettones and they're so festive too. Yours are stunning! Thanks for linking up to #tastytuesdays
Jhuls
These looks amazing, Hanna. π
hannahhossack
Thanks Jhuls π