It all started with this recipe for American Panettone from the King Arthur Flour Blog. It is something I've always wanted to make, but never really got around to searching for a recipe. When I saw that recipe, I thought I can try this, and so I embarked on my Panettone journey. I knew one thing from the beginning, I wanted chocolate chips in mine because the traditional raisin panettone, isn't how we roll in this house.....it must have Chocolate!!
Version #1: I started with their recipe with two minor variations. I substituted the Whole Foods brand mini semi-sweet chocolate chunks for the raisins. And since I didn't have the Fiori De Sicilia that the recipe called for I put 1/4 tsp. extra vanilla, and 1/4 tsp. orange extract. It turned out OK, but it really needed some help. It was lacking that liquor sharpness, and the chocolate was too bitter - definitely needed milk chocolate, not semi-sweet. Everyone felt like they needed butter on it. It was too much like bread and not enough like cake.
Version #2: Same substitution for the Fiori Di Sicilia, but this time I added 1 Tbs. of Brandy, 1 Tbs. of Triple Sec and chopped up 2 Cadbury Milk Chocolate Candy Bars. Result was MUCH better, but.......after the first rise I put the chopped up chocolate and it all melted because the dough was still too warm coming out of the bread machine. The taste was good, but it was more of a chocolate swirl panettone than a chocolate chip panettone.
Version #3: I read in a book that it is better to make a starter out of organic flour, so I made the starter from the King Arthur organic all-purpose flour. The starter definitely had a better look and feel with the organic flour. This time, after the dough came out of the bread machine after the first rise (about 9AM), I put it in the fridge until I got home from work. When I got home (around 3:45) I took it out, kneaded in the chopped chocolate (3 bars this time), shaped it and covered it and let it rise on the counter until I put it in the oven the next morning around 8AM. This one was a success in our eyes! My official taster (my husband) said I got it right. He thinks it could be a little more moist, but as a friend brought up, no one is really used to tasting fresh panettone, we all eat stale, preserved Panettone that's been in a box for who knows how long.
In addition, when I cut up the chocolate candy bars, I put it in a plastic baggie and shook it so that the flakes fell to the bottom. I only kneaded in the big chucks and reserved the flakes of chocolate sprinkle over the top of the cake when it came out of the oven.
Here is my version of the King Arthur American Style Panettone.
Biga
* 1 1/2 cups Organic King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
* 1/2 cup cool water
* 1/16 teaspoon instant yeast
Dough
* 3 large eggs
* 1/2 cup unsalted butter cut into chunks
* 2 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
* 1/3 cup sugar
* 5 teaspoons instant yeast
* 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
* 2 1/4 teaspoons vanilla
* 1/4 Orange Extract
* 3 chopped Cadbury Milk Chocolate Bars
* 1 Tablespoon Triple Sec
* 1 Tablespoon Brandy
1. Make the biga, cover, let rise at least 12 hours
2. Add starter and remaining ingredients (except chocolate) to bread machine, process on dough cycle
3. Remove dough from machine, place in a buttered bowl, cover and put in fridge until chilled.
4. Take dough out of fridge, and kneed in chocolate. Make a ball, put a whole in the center and slide into a buttered angel food pan cake. Cover and let rise until warm +2 hours (preferably overnight)
5. Bake in a 350 oven. My pan/oven requires that I cook uncovered for about 25 minutes, then I cover with foil until about 47 minutes until the internal temperate is 190 fahrenheit as the King Arthur recipe suggests.
