How to make
For the sourdough starter, knead a soft dough from 2.7 fl oz (80 ml) of milk, yeast, beaten egg and 6.5 oz (180 g) of flour. Put it in a bowl, cover it with the remaining 6.5 oz (180 g) of flour and wrap it with cling film.
Store the sourdough for 1 night in the refrigerator.
To knead the main dough for the Panettone, a food processor or mixer with dough attachments would be a good helper. Kneading by hand would be more difficult and time-consuming.
Put the sourdough from the refrigerator in the bowl of the device, pour the eggs, lightly beaten with sugar and the remaining 7 oz (200 g) of flour.
Knead for 11 minutes with the device, during the last 5 adding the butter in small pieces, until completely integrated and obtaining a smooth, soft and shiny dough.
Cover the bowl and leave it to rise for 1 hour in a warm place.
During this time process your almonds and dates.
Toast the almonds very lightly in a non greased pan or in a low heated oven, then chop them.
Pit the dates and cut them into small pieces.
Knead the finished panettone dough for another minute or two and spread it on a floured surface in the shape of a 12″ (30 cm) square.
Spread the almonds and dates and fold the dough. Knead it along with the stuffing to distribute it all over.
Divide the dough into 2 equal parts, each weighing approximately 1.5 lb (700 g).
Shape it into balls and place them into panettone molds with a base of 6.1″ (15.5) cm and a height of 5″ (13 cm), previously greased or lined with baking paper. With kitchen scissors, cut the middle in the shape of a cross or tear off the dough and place a small ball on top.
Cover the molds with foil and leave the two panettones to rise again for 2-3 hours.
Bake at 340°F (170°C) for 35-40 minutes.
When ready, panettone is traditionally left to cool in the following way:
It is removed from the mold and 0.8″ (2 cm) from the base, a long skewer is inserted transversely. The pastry is turned upside down and the ends of the skewer rest on two hard and stable surfaces so that the panettone hangs and cools upside down.
If you don't want to do this, cooling in the traditional way on a wire rack is also an option.
For the glaze, grind the brown sugar with the candied marron glace. Beat the coffee powder with the egg white and pour it over the two panettones with dates and almonds.
Allow the glaze to dry for a minimum of 15-20 minutes before serving and slicing.
If desired, sprinkle with powdered sugar, which is more for a beautiful effect.
Enjoy.
