Gourmet panettone

The gourmet panettone is ideal for buffets, birthday parties, appetizers and all festive occasions! It’s a dish that simply must not be missing from your Christmas dining table! Cooked in the mould of normal panettone, and with the same shape as its traditional namesake – the dessert version – gourmet panettone is similar, a sort of brioche with a fairly neutral flavour and fluffy texture, which goes well with any filling you fancy. It’s excellent with meats, cheeses, sauces of all types, cooked or grilled vegetables, olive paste, dried tomatoes, and much more besides. Cut into slices and then into wedges, it makes an excellent impression as a dining table centrepiece, and every guest can try the range of different fillings. Try your hand at this delicious savoury panettone: it may look complex at first glance, but is actually not so difficult. The result is really excellent, and will be enjoyed by everyone!

Prepare all the ingredients. Put the flour, sugar and yeast in the bowl of the food mixer. Add milk, mix well, and then add the eggs. Mix well once again and finally add the flaked butter and salt. Stir the mixture until the butter is well absorbed and blended and the dough is nicely pliable. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl, cover with cling film and let it rise until doubled in size. Then take the dough and gently deflate it with your fingertips. Place the dough in a panettone mould (1 kg). Let it rise again until it reaches almost to the edge. Brush the panettone with milk. Bake for about 40 minutes at 180°C. Leave the panettone to cool having skewered the base with knitting needles (see picture). Then cut the panettone into 5-7 horizontal slices. Fill the first layer as you please, for example with mayonnaise and cooked ham; cover with another unfilled layer; then add a new slice and fill with, for example, salad and fresh tomato. Proceed as above, adding a layer without filling, and then the for last layer fill with, for example, a vegetable based sauce. Cover with the last slice and the top, and cut into sections vertically. Serve.