Messenger Smiley Panettone

It's up to you.

17 detailed steps from preparation to service.

1. Prepare the ingredients and the mold

   Install the robot with its hook, a scale, a small saucepan, a thermometer and a 1.5 kg paper pan on a plate. Take out the 140 g of butter from the dough so that they are soft and dice them. Reserve separately the 10 g of butter for the top: they will not be kneaded in the dough.

2. Prepare the fruit and zest

   Weigh 120 g of raisins and 100 g of candied orange peel. Separate the raisins and dice the peel into pieces about 5 mm across. Wash and dry the untreated orange; only graze its orange part, avoiding the bitter white layer. Keep the fruit, zest and vanilla teaspoon aside until the end of kneading.

3. Tie the milk and break the eggs

   Measure the 150 ml of milk and heat them very gently to reach about 30 ° C. Check the package leaflet for 8 g of dry yeast; if it requires rehydration, use this milk and respect the indicated time. Break 3 eggs one by one in a small bowl, remove any piece of shell, then beat them with a fork for 20 to 30 seconds to mix white and yolks. Too hot milk would damage the yeast: check its temperature before pouring it.

4. Start kneading without butter

   Pour 450 g of strong bread flour or T45, 100 g of sugar and 5 g of salt into the bowl of the robot and mix quickly. Add milk, yeast and three beaten eggs. Turn the hook on at a low speed to avoid splashing, then knead for about 10 minutes until the dough gathers and begins to stretch.

5. Add the butter in three portions

   Visually divides 140 g of soft butter into three servings. Add the first to the slow-moving robot and wait for it to be almost incorporated; do the same with the next two. Then knead for another 10 to 15 minutes. Scrape the bottom if necessary: the dough should become supple and elastic, with a smoother surface, without separate puddles of butter.

6. Check the dough and add the fruit

   Take a small piece and gently stretch it between the fingers: it must form a thin membrane before tearing. If the dough breaks immediately, knead for another 2 minutes and check again. Add the raisins, peel, orange zest and vanilla. Mix for only 1 to 2 minutes to distribute the fruit without crushing it.

7. Leave for the first rise

   Gather the dough at the bottom of the bowl, cover it and mark the initial level. Let rise for about 2 hours in a room around 24 °C, away from drafts. The dough should double in size. If it has barely risen, give it more time before proceeding. Do not place the bowl on a hot radiator.

8. Form the ball and place it in the mold

   Gently press the raised dough to chase away the big bubbles. On a clean worktop, flap four edges towards the center and then turn the dough, soldered underneath, to form a ball. Lift it with both hands or a dough scraper and place it in the paper mould. The pan should remain on its baking tray for the entire time it is lifted and cooked.

9. Leave for the second rise

   Cover without tightening to prevent the surface from drying out. Let it rise for about 1 h 30 to 2 hours, until the dough arrives about 2 cm below the edge of the mold. Don't squeeze the dough at this point. At the end of the rise, preheat the conventional oven to 170 °C (no fan), with a rack low enough to leave room for the dome.

10. Cut the top and add the reserved butter

    Discover the mold. With a fine sharp knife, draw a shallow cross, a few millimeters deep, on the top without pressing on the whole dome. Cut the 10 g of reserved butter into small pieces and place them in the center of the cross. Slips the baking sheet into the oven gently so as not to cause the dough to fall back.

11. Cook to the heart

    Cook for 45 to 55 minutes at 170°C. From 25 minutes, look at the coloration; if the top is already well golden, cover it slightly with baking paper. At about 45 minutes, insert the probe in the center of the brioche, without touching the mold: aims at about 93 ° C at heart. If necessary, continue for 5 minutes and then check again.

12. Cool completely before the decor

    Take out the plate with oven gloves and place the panettone in its mold on a wire rack. Wait at least 3 hours, until it is cold in the heart; a large panettone may require more. Remove the paper only after cooling so as not to pull out the crumb. This yeast version gives a brioche: do not cut the hot brioche to try to accelerate this wait.

13. Prepare the dome’s yellow chocolate

    Chop 180 g of white chocolate with a knife and put it in a small, perfectly dry bowl. Place the bowl on a saucepan containing 2 cm of barely simmering water, without the bottom of the bowl touching the water. Stir gently with the spatula and remove the bowl as soon as the pieces are almost melted; continue to stir off the heat. Wipe the bottom of the bowl before moving it: no drop of water should enter the chocolate. Add the fat-soluble yellow dye in very small touches, following the recommended dose on its packaging. Mix between each addition until a homogeneous pale yellow is obtained. The chocolate should remain supple but not hot; if it is very liquid, wait a few minutes out of the bath while stirring.

14. Napper only the cold dome

    Place the cold panettone on its plate, paper removed. Place the yellow chocolate in small spoonfuls on the top and spread gently with the spatula on the rounded part only. Stop the layer before the flanks to leave the bare brioche visible. Do not insist to the point of tearing the crust; recover the excess in the bowl rather than pouring it to the plate.

15. Let the yellow background firm up

    Leave the panettone flat for at least 30 minutes in a cool room. The padding should be firm and no longer follow the movement with a very light touch. Spot both eyes in the upper half of the dome and a big smile underneath, keeping wide yellow spaces. Prepare dark chocolate only when this background is taken.

16. Drawing the Messenger Face

    Chop 40 g of dark chocolate with a knife and put it in a small, perfectly dry bowl. Place the bowl on a saucepan containing 2 cm of barely simmering water, without the bottom of the bowl touching the water. Stir gently with the spatula and remove the bowl as soon as the pieces are almost melted; continue to stir off the heat. Wipe the bottom of the bowl before moving it: no drop of water should enter the chocolate. Pour the chocolate into a small baking paper cone or piping bag, fold the top and cut an opening of 1 to 2 mm. Test on a piece of paper: the chocolate should flow with gentle pressure, without running on its own. Hold the tip a few millimetres above the surface and guide it with your hand, without dragging the decoration. Trace two large black ovals for the eyes, then fill them with the tip of a small spoon. Draws below a single large bowed smile, without teeth or tongue. Keep the shapes simple and well separated; freeze for another 20 to 30 minutes before cutting the brioche.

17. Slice without tearing off the tablecloth

    To serve, place the bread knife on top and saw gently rather than pressing in the shell at once. Support the slice with a cake shovel when it comes loose. The remaining chocolates can be spread in lozenges and reserved for another use; the decor should remain a thin layer, not a block of chocolate around the brioche.