A Panettone for Two

Yes, I have made all the Christmas Cookies, and they will be posted soon. But first... There are so many things I want to make for Christmas, but Chris and I are just two, so I have to be mindful of overbaking.

I have made this recipe from King Arthur Flour for the past 3 years. This year, I made just 1/2 the recipe. It is just enough for the 2 of us. It did not bake as tall as it had in the previous year, but it looks really nice. And the aroma!!!!!!!!!

This is the recipe for a full loaf.

Ingredients

Starter

3/4 cup (90g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

1/16 teaspoon (just a pinch) instant yeast

1/3 cup (74g) cool water

Dough

all of the starter (above)

2 1/4 cups (270g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

1/4 cup (57g) lukewarm water

2 large eggs

4 tablespoons (57g) butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla plus 1/8 teaspoon orange extract

1 tablespoon yeast

1 1/4 teaspoons (8g) table salt

1/3 cup (67g) granulated sugar

1/2 cup (85g) golden raisins

1/2 cup (64g) slivered dried apricots

1/2 cup (85g) dried cranberries

1/2 cup (71g) chopped dried pineapple

1/4 cup dark rum

2 tablespoons orange zest or lemon zest

To make the starter:

Weigh your flour, or measure it by gently spooning it into a cup, and then sweeping off any excess. 

Combine the starter ingredients in a medium-sized mixing bowl, cover, and allow them to rest overnight (8 to 12 hours).

Soak the dried fruit in 1/4 dark rum, I used Myers overnight. If you have pets please cover this bowl!

To make the dough: 

Combine all the dough ingredients except the fruit and zest, and mix and knead them together — by hand, mixer, or bread machine — until you've made a soft, smooth dough.

Allow the dough to rise, covered, for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until it's puffy (though not necessarily doubled in bulk).

Gently deflate the dough, and knead in the fruits and zest.

Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a panettone pan or other straight-sided, tall 1 1/2- to 2-quart pan. 

Cover the pan and let the dough rise until it's just crested over the rim of the pan, about 1 hour.

Bake the bread in a preheated 400°F oven for 10 minutes; reduce the oven heat to 375°F and bake an additional 10 minutes; then reduce the heat to 350°F and bake for 25 to 35 minutes, tenting with aluminum foil if the crust appears to be browning too quickly. 

Panettone should be a deep brown when done, should sound hollow when tapped, and will read 190°F at the center using a digital thermometer. (It's easy to underbake since it browns so quickly!)

Remove the panettone from the oven and cool completely.

Store at room temperature, well-wrapped, for up to a week; freeze for longer storage.