(cliccate qui per la versione italiana)
Happy Monday, friends!
It will be Christmas soon and, as every year, without fail, I tell myself I want to try and make a vegan Panettone (I hope all of you know what an Italian panettone is?! If not – you’re seriously missing out!! It’s a typical Xmas sweet soft bread from Milan that comes in a cupola shape. It’s big and it’s served cut up in vertical wedges. Around Xmas time, and for many months afterwards, you can find it in any food store for as cheap as 1 euro but the real deal is rightfully expensive and can be bought at fancy pastry shops.). There are many varieties but the main ingredients are: flour, butter, eggs, sugar, candied citrus fruits and raisins. To make it the right way, it takes at least 2 days because the batter needs to rise 2 or 3 times. If this is already fairly complicated – think about a veganised version! Umm, needless to say, I haven’t tried making it yet 😀 But I was thinking about it last week, and decided I could definitely make something simpler for you (and myself!) : muffins that taste kind of like panettone. They’re super quick and easy. If you don’t feel like candying fruits just skip the first 5 ingredients, add store-bought candied orange and citron peel and a little bit of orange juice if you think the batter is a bit too dry, right at the very end before baking it. I haven’t tried but am pretty sure it works!
XMAS PANETTONE MUFFINS {vegan}
by Marta Giaccone
Recipe
yields 4 muffins
prep time: 10 mins, cook time: 45 mins, total time: 55 mins
peel of ¼ of an orange, diced
zest of ½ lemon, grated
juice of 1 orange
juice of ½ lemon
juice of 1 mandarin/tangerine
¼ cup / 50 gr brown sugar
70 gr / 2 handfuls raisins, soaked in warm water for a few minutes
2 tbsp / 30 ml oil (I used evo oil but you can use any)
¼ cup / 60 ml plant-based yoghurt
¼ cup / 60 ml plant-based milk
1 cup / 140 gr flour
1 tsp baking powder
pinch turmeric
pinch salt
pinch vanilla
Method
- Start by making the candied orange peel. Juice 1 orange, then chop up ¼ of the peel. Add both to a small pot along with the juice of 1 mandarin, the grated lemon zest and the sugar. Bring to a boil, then lower the flame to medium/low. Cook, stirring often, for about 20-25 mins, until the orange peel is soft (try it! Careful it’s hot).
- In the meantime sift flour and combine it with baking powder, salt, turmeric and vanilla (if using extract or paste, add it to the wet ingredients).
- Preheat oven to 375°F/180°C. Lightly oil 4 muffin molds.
- When the candied orange is ready, add the drained raisins, yoghurt, milk and oil to the pot. Mix to combine, then pour over the dry ingredients.
- Divide the batter into the 4 molds. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Turn them around after the first 15 minutes for more uniform baking. Turn off oven, open the oven door and let the muffins cool inside for 5 mins, then take them out and let them cool some more.
- Keep muffins in a metal tin or an airtight container for a few days.
