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AN ITALIAN CHRISTMAS PANETTONE WITH A FLEMISH TWIST

For Italians, nothing quite says Christmas like panettone. Baked until golden, deliciously sweet and fragrant with spices, it has all the festive flavours one could wish for.

Our panettone recipe, from Hotel Amigo’s BoCConi Restaurant, is given a wonderfully Flemish twist when served with a delicious speculoos cream. A caramelized, spiced biscuit, speculoos are much-loved seasonal treats, and this combination creates the perfect centrepiece for a Christmas afternoon tea.

Ingredients

For the Panettone:

70g sugar
40 ml water
4 egg yolks
90g butter
90g panettone flour
40g yeast
40g plain flour
Pinch of salt
80g dried grapes
40g candied oranges

For the speculoos cream:

50g gianduja spread
25g speculoos biscuits 

Method

Place the panettone flour, salt, 30g sugar, yeast, water and 2 egg yolks in a bowl and mix

Chill for 2 hours

Once chilled, place the mixture in the bowl of a free-standing mixer fitted with a dough hook

Add in the plain flour, remaining sugar, pinch of salt, 2 egg yolks, 60g butter and dried fruits and mix until you reach a dough consistency

Cover and chill for one hour

Place the chilled dough in a paper panettone mould and chill for a further 6 hours, until the dough is risen

Preheat your oven to 175o C. Add a little butter on top of the panettone and bake in the oven for 35 minutes

Once golden and cooked, prick the panettone and allow to cool upside down for 12 hours

Place in the oven for 35 minutes at 175° C (static baking)

To make the speculoos cream, simply blend your Speculoos biscuits with the gianduja until you have a creamy consistency. Serve the panettone with the Speculoos cream on top and enjoy.

Sample BoCConi’s sensational Italian dishes at Hotel Amigo. For reservations please call +32 2 547 47 15 or email ristorantebocconi@roccofortehotels.com.

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