Pannatone

I have been meaning to bake a pannatone for some time, to go onto my bread pages.  The complexity of this Italian Christmas loaf has been putting me off for some years, but this weekend I had a go.

The recipe starts with a sweet dough mix with butter and egg yolks, which needs to rise for 12-14 hours.  The next day, another dough mix is produced with soaked sultanas and candied peel.  For my bake I also added glace morello cherries.  The sultanas were soaked in brandy - by the way, the bake was inspired by a sort out in the cupboards as Rosie had found some ingredients on their sell-by dates.

The mixes are combined and allowed to rest at room temperature for 2 hours.  After shaping the dough, it is placed in a prepared and lined tin for 4-5 hours of proving, before being baked for a long time at a medium temperature.  The resulting loaf needs to be cooled for 3 hours before cutting. - That's two days worth of baking so far......

In this case, the resulting bread did not rise as much as it should - I should have proved at a warmer temperature.  Whow! the taste was exceptional.  When I have nothing to do for two days and lots of pennies to purchase more ingredients, I will bake another one.

As a break, we ventured a little South to the Cosford Air Museum.  The Dornier that was lifted from the Channel was being moved to the restoration hanger and the Warplanes hanger was being cleared out for an event.

Some of the aircraft, like this Messerschmitt 410, were outside.  This allowed more space and different setting in which to photograph them.

In the bottom hanger, a Boulton-Paul Baliol had been brought out from the reserve collection hanger.  This was a trainer aircraft used to practise carrier deck landings with the Royal Navy.  It failed to sell to then RAF due to the introduction of Jet Trainers like the Jet Provost.

The hydration tents which housed the Dornier bomber have been mostly cleared.  Only the engine nacelles and inner wing sections are still being sprayed.  The wings and fuselage have now been cleared of sediment and concretions and stabilised to some degree.  Next month there is an open hanger week where the progress can be reviewed.