Homemade Pan Dulce (Argentine Christmas Bread)

In Argentina and Uruguay, there’s no Christmas without pan dulce. It’s a cousin of Italian panettone: a yeast dough enriched with butter, eggs and citrus, packed with candied fruit and nuts. It takes several hours of rising, but the hands-on work is modest, and the aroma it leaves in your kitchen is unbeatable.

• Makes: 2 loaves (about 1 lb each)
• Prep time: 40 minutes
• Rising time: 4 to 5 hours
• Bake time: 45 minutes
• Total time: about 6 hours

Ingredients

For the sponge

• 2 1/2 teaspoons (8 g) active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) warm milk
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons flour

For the dough

• 4 cups (500 g) bread flour or all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup (120 g) sugar
• 3 eggs plus 1 yolk, room temperature
• 7 tablespoons (100 g) softened butter
• 1/3 cup (80 ml) warm milk
• Zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon orange blossom water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

For the filling

• 1 cup (150 g) diced candied fruit
• 2/3 cup (100 g) raisins, soaked in 3 1/2 tablespoons brandy, rum or warm water
• 3/4 cup (100 g) chopped walnuts
• 2 tablespoons flour, for tossing the fruit
• 2 paper panettone molds (about 1 lb size)

Instructions

1. Make the sponge. Mix the yeast with the warm milk, sugar and 2 tablespoons of flour. Cover and let stand 15 minutes until foamy.
2. Make the dough. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Add the sponge, eggs, yolk, milk, zests, vanilla and orange blossom water. Mix until combined.
3. Knead in the butter. Knead 5 minutes, then add the soft butter a little at a time. Keep kneading 10 to 15 minutes until smooth, elastic and pulling away from the counter. It’s a soft dough: avoid adding too much flour.
4. First rise. Place in a buttered bowl, cover and let rise in a warm spot for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, until doubled.
5. Add the filling. Drain the raisins and toss them with the candied fruit, walnuts and 2 tablespoons of flour. Punch down the dough, flatten it, scatter the filling and gently knead to distribute.
6. Second rise. Divide in half, shape each into a ball and place in the paper molds. Cover and let rise 2 to 3 hours, until the dough nearly reaches the top of the molds.
7. Bake. Preheat the oven to 340°F (170°C). Cut a cross on top of each loaf and brush with beaten egg for extra shine if you like. Bake 40 to 45 minutes, until golden and a long skewer comes out clean. Tent with foil if they brown too fast.
8. Cool completely before slicing so the crumb sets.

Tips

• Be patient with the rise: butter, sugar and eggs make this dough rise more slowly than plain bread. If your kitchen is cold, put it in the oven with just the light on.
• For gifting: wrapped tightly in cellophane, it keeps up to 10 days.
• Chocolate version: replace the candied fruit with 1 cup of semisweet chocolate chips.
• No paper molds? Bake them in loaf pans or a tall buttered round pan.

Leer esta receta en español: Pan Dulce Casero para Navidad

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