Light Panettone

This is my variation on yeasted Christmas panettone with ingredients I like, but fewer calories from sugar. You do need to let the panettone rise a number of times and for long periods, but all the rising results in a soft yet firm panettone that is wonderfully sweet thanks to the dried fruit.

Ingredients

• 0.5 cup lukewarm water, divided, or as needed
• 2 ¼ cups Italian-style tip 00 flour
• 0.75 ounce fresh yeast
• 2 eggs
• 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 0.25 cup raisins
• 0.25 cup dried blueberries
• 0.25 cup chopped dried apricots
• 3 tablespoons stevia powder
• 2 tablespoons sugar-free candied fruit
• 10 drops sugar substitute (such as Truvia®)

Steps

1. Combine 1/4 cup lukewarm water, 1/3 of the flour, and yeast in a bowl and dissolve yeast. Cover with a clean dish towel and let rise in a warm place, 8 hours to overnight.
2. Stir in 1/3 more of the flour and enough warm water to make the dough soft and elastic. Knead together, cover, and let rise in a warm place, about 2 hours. Add remaining flour and a few tablespoons of warm water, knead into a soft and elastic dough, cover, and let rise in a warm place, about 3 hours.
3. Work in eggs, olive oil, raisins, blueberries, apricots, stevia, candied fruit, and sweetener and knead everything into a soft dough. Place dough in a panettone mold, cover, and let rise in a warm place until dough has almost doubled, about 1 hour.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
5. Bake in the preheated oven until panettone is baked through and lightly browned, about 45 minutes.