Christmas Panettone Bread II
Ingredients
2 cups (280 g) high-quality all-purpose gluten-free flour
1 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it)
35 grams Expandex modified food starch
35 grams whey powder
1/2 cup (100 g) sugar
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Grated zest and juice of 1 medium-sized lemon
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup (6 fl. oz.) warm milk (about 110°F)
3 extra-large eggs (180 g, without the shell), at room temperature
8 tablespoons (112 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
6 ounces dried and/or candied fruit (I used dried currants), tossed with 1 teaspoon cornstarch
Instructions
Grease and lightly flour a panettone mold or brioche mold (a loaf pan will work just fine, too), and set it aside.
Make the dough & allow it to rise. In the bowl of a stand mixer, place the flour, xanthan gum, Expandex, whey, sugar, yeast and cream of tartar, and whisk to combine well with a separate handheld whisk. Add the salt and lemon zest, and whisk again to combine well. Fit the paddle attachment to the mixer and secure the bowl. Add the lemon juice, vanilla, milk, eggs and butter to the bowl, mixing on low speed to combine after each addition. Once the final ingredient has been added, turn the mixer to medium-high speed, and allow to mix for about 6 minutes uninterrupted. Add the dried fruit and cornstarch, and mix until evenly distributed throughout. The dough will be very soft and smooth. Scrape the dough into the prepared baking mold or pan until the container is a bit more than half-full, and smooth the top with wet hands. If you have extra dough, grease and flour another small container and scrape the remaining dough into that container to rise. Cover the baking dish(es) with oiled plastic wrap, and place the pan in a warm and humid, draft-free location to rise until the dough has doubled in size (about an hour).
Bake the bread. While the dough is rising, preheat your oven to 375°F. Once the dough has finished rising, place the baking dish in the center of the preheated oven and lower the heat to 350°F. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the top is deep brown. Remove the pan from the oven, cover the top of the bread tightly with a piece of foil, and return to the center of the oven. Bake for another 20 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the bread is about 210°F and/or it sounds hollow when thumped with a finger.
Allow the bread to cool. Remove the bread from the oven and allow to cool in the mold for about 10 minutes. Loosen from the mold and transfer the bread to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing and serving.