How To Make Lactose Free Panettone

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp Warm Lactofree Whole Milk
• 2 x 7g Fact-Action Dried Yeast Packets
• 100g Golden Caster Sugar
• 250g Flora Dairy Free
• 5 Lightly beaten eggs
• 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 Lemon Zest
• 1 Orange Zest
• 500g Strong White Bread Flour
• 80g Raisins
• 40g Sultanas
• 40g Cherries
• 3 tbsp Dark Rum
• 200g Finely Chopped, Candied Lemon & Orange peel

For Finishing

• 30g Roughly Chopped Blanced Almonds
• 1 tbsp Golden Caster Sugar
• 1 tbsp Egg White
• 1 tbsp Icing Sugar

Method

1. Grease a panettone tin.
2. Place the Warm Lactofree Whole Milk in a bowl and add the yeast and 1 tsp of sugar and leave for a few minutes.
3. Put the rest of the sugar in a large bowl and beat together with the butter and vanilla extract until very light and pale.
4. Now, stir in the lemon and orange zest.
5. Add the eggs a little at a time until well mixed. If the mixture starts to curdle, spoon in a tablespoon of the flour and beat n with the eggs.
6. Place the flour in a large bowl and mix with a good pinch of salt and make a well in the centre.
7. Add the yeast mixture then the butter and egg mixture, folding in with a large spoon to make a dough. Knead for 5 mins in the bowl until it all comes together. It will be quite a sticky dough at this stage.
8. Place the dough onto a floured surface and knead for 10 mins, until you have a very soft and stretchy dough.
9. Add a light sprinkling of flour to the surface and your hands to stop the mixture sticking, but try not to add too much.
10. Place in a lightly greased bowl and cover with cling film. Leave in a warm place for 2 hrs until it has doubled in size.
11. Place the raisins, sultanas and cherries in a saucepan with the rum and heat gently for about 7 mins until the fruit has absorbed the liquid, and then set aside to cool.
12. When the dough has risen, tip it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead again for 5 mins. Gradually knead in the soaked raisins, sultanas, cherries and chopped candied peel.
13. Shape the dough into a ball and pop into the prepared tin. Cover lightly with cling film and leave to rise for another hour until it has risen to the top of the tin.
14. Preheat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. You’ll probably need to adjust the oven shelf to the right height.
15. Mix together the almonds, caster sugar and egg white for the topping and gently brush over the top of the panettone.
16. Place in the oven and bake for 40 – 50 mins until golden and risen and a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the middle.
17. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 mins before turning out onto a wire rack. Leave to cool completely before dusting lightly with icing sugar.
18. This makes a delicious treat on Christmas morning, cut into wedges and spread with butter, chocolate spread or jam to serve, enjoy!