American-Style Panettone

Ingredients

For the Biga

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup water, cool
• 1/16 teaspoon instant yeast

For the Dough

• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into about 10 chunks
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 5 teaspoons instant yeast
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon Fiori di Sicilia extract, to taste
• 1 1/2 cups dried fruit, chopped if large

Directions

1. 1

   Biga: Combine the flour, water and yeast, kneading briefly to make a stiff dough; if you're using a bread machine, allow the dough to knead for 5 minutes, then cancel the machine.

2. 2

   Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, and allow it to rise overnight, about 12 hours. It'll become bubbly.

3. 3

   Dough: In the bowl of an electric mixer (or in the pan of your bread machine), combine all of the ingredients except the dried fruit. Note: This dough is very difficult to make by hand; we suggest the use of a machine of some sort.

4. 4

   Knead the dough till it's cohesive; it'll seem very gummy at first, but should come together nicely at the end. Don't worry if it doesn't form a smooth ball; it's OK if it sticks to the sides of the bowl a bit.

5. 5

   Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, and allow it to rest for an hour. It won't rise much; that's OK.

6. 6

   Knead the fruit into the dough, by hand or machine; knead only until the dough accepts the fruit, as over handling will cause the fruit to release too much sugar into the dough, slowing the rise.

7. 7

   Allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes, then shape it into a round ball.

8. 8

   Poke a hole in the center of the ball.

9. 9

   Slip the dough over the ring of a lightly greased 9" to 10" tube pan or monkey bread pan.

10. 10

    Cover the pan, and set the dough aside to rise for 2 hours or so. It probably won't double in size, but will puff up a bit; don't worry, this bread's oven spring is quite good.

11. 11

    Bake the panettone in a preheated 350°F oven for 25 to 40 minutes, tenting it with aluminum foil for the final 15 minutes of baking if it appears to be browning too quickly. There's a wide time-range here due to the difference in center diameters of monkey bread and tube pans; the smaller the diameter, the longer the bread will bake. The internal temperature of the dough should register 190°F to 205°F when it's done, so use an instant-read thermometer to check. If you don't have a thermometer, poke a cake tester into the center; it should come out dry, without any crumbs or wet dough clinging to it.

12. 12

    Remove the panettone from the oven, and after about 5 minutes turn it out of the pan. Brush with melted butter, if desired, for a soft, buttery crust. Cool on a rack.

13. 13

    Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar just before serving, if desired.