Panettone w/whole spelt

All I want for Christmas is...a panettone.

Recipe adapted from Giallo Zafferano
time: all day (mostly inactive)

ingredients (almost all quantities divided)

• 500 g (3 1/3 cup) regular flour OR
• 240 g (2 cups) whole spelt flour and
• 200 g (1 1/3 cup) regular flour
• 12 g (1/2 oz) fresh yeast or 4-5 g (1 1/2 teaspoon) dry
• 60 ml (4 Tablespoons) lukewarm milk (almond OK) + 5 g (1 teaspoon) sugar
• 160 g (4/5 cup) sugar
• 160 g (2/3 cup) butter, soft, room temperature + 15 g (1 Tablespoon/cube)
• 4 eggs, room temperature
• 3 yolks, room temperature
• 5 g (1 teaspoon) fine salt
• 120 g (1 cup, not packed) raisins 
• 80 g (3 oz) candied orange peel, chopped
• 50 ml (3 Tablespoons) rum, preferably dark
• zest from 1 medium lemon, grated
• 1 vanilla bean, split open, seeds removed

instructions

Macerate raisins with rum and water to cover all fruit.  Before using, drain the liquids. Mix two flours together (flour mix).

1. FAZE ONE. You'll need: 100 g (3/4 cup) flour mix, 10 g (.4 oz) yeast, 5 g (1 teaspoon) sugar, milk. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar with milk. Place flours in your mixing bowl, add dissolved yeast and, using your hands, work the ingredients together till a solid mass forms (about 2-3 minutes). Wrap the bowl in plastic wrap and set it next to a source of heat (my radiator) for about 1 hour (or till the dough doubles in size).
2. FAZE TWO. You'll need: 180 g (1 1/3 cup) flour mix, 2 g (.1 oz) yeast, 2 eggs, 60 g (4 Tablespoons) sugar, 60 g (4 Tablespoons) butter. Attach the bowl with the content from FAZE ONE onto your standing mixer (equipped with needle attachment). Drop crumbled yeast, add flour and eggs. Knead dough on low speed for about 2 minutes till eggs disappear. Add sugar. Knead for a minute. Add butter and knead the dough on low/medium speed for about 5 minutes till smooth, elastic and not sticky anymore. Wrap the bowl with a plastic wrap and set it next to a source of heat for at least 2 hours (or till it doubles in size).
3. FAZE THREE. You'll need: the rest of flour mix (or flour), 2 eggs, 3 yolks, 100 g (1/2 cup) sugar, salt, 100 g (7 Tablespoons) butter, raisins, zests, vanilla. Attach the bowl with dough from FAZE TWO onto your standing mixer. Add flour, eggs and yolks. Knead the dough for 10 min on low speed till smooth. Add sugar and salt. Knead till all ingredients are absorbed (about 2 minutes). Add butter in two dozes. When all the butter disappears, add raisins, zests and vanilla. Knead to combine. Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and set it next to a source of heat again for at least 2 hours.
4. FAZE FOUR. Prepare your 8cm wide and 10cm high (7inch/10inch) round spring baking form: grease and line with parchment paper.  Transfer dough onto a rolling board. Work it with your hands and a plastic scraper for a couple of minutes (make sure all the fruit are spread evenly). Place it into your prepared baking form, smooth side up. Cover it with a cotton cloth and set it next to a source of heat for at least for 2 hours (or till it doubles in size, more or less).
5. Preheat oven to 200C/400F (static function). Place a small heat-proof bowl with water on a bottom shelf of the oven. Uncover the risen dough and put it in a airy place for 10-15 minutes to create a thin crust on top. Using a small, sharp knife, cut a big cross on the top surface of the cake. Place a cube of butter in the middle. Set the cake in the hot oven in the lower middle part of the oven for 10 minutes. Then lover temperature to 190C/375F for the next 10 minutes. Finally, lover temperature further to 180C/355F for the last 40 minutes. Remove from the heat. Let it cool for 30 minutes in the form. Your panettone is ready.

notes

• this recipe has worked for me every time, for the last 5-6 years, even the times when I was just following the recipe, without knowing what I was doing;
• my panettone tastes authentic = heaven;
• I never thought I would dare to use anything but white flour in the recipe; but I did and it worked just fine;
• about candied orange zest - I used my own; it didn't need any macerating;
• in all the fazes, the dough tends grow the most toward the end, so be patient;
• I don't have a special form for the cake, so I line the sides of my short form with a tall (15cm/5inch) piece of parchment paper;
• I leave the parchment paper on the cake, cover the rest of it with a plastic wrap and take it to my sister's for Christmas.