From Panettone To Gingerbread Cookies: Christmas Special Recipes

From fairy lights lit up in the markets to jam-packed bakeries to Secret Santas in the workplaces, Christmas in India has its own charm. While you sit with your family or plan a festive outing with your friends, the hunt for the one perfect dessert that resonates with the season begins. It’s true that plum cake has been a holiday staple for a long time, but the newer generation is always looking for ‘something new, yet traditional’. So, if you want to experiment with ingredients and make a Christmas dessert yourself, here are some chef-special recipes curated just for you. Give your Christmas table a twist and try out these recipes in your kitchen.

Gingerbread Cookies By Chef Gobu Kumar, Executive Chef, Rosetta Sakleshpur

Ingredients:

Cookie Dough:

• 375 gm all-purpose flour
• 150 gm brown sugar
• 4 gm baking soda
• 8 gm cinnamon powder
• 6 gm ginger powder
• 1 gm clove powder
• 5 gm salt
• 170 gm unsalted butter
• 180 ml dark molasses
• 30 ml milk

For Frosting:

• 28 gm butter
• 240 gm powdered sugar
• 30 ml milk

Method:

1. Add flour, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt to a mixing bowl and mix.
2. Add the butter pieces and use a pastry blender to cut the butter in until the mixture resembles fine meal.
3. With a mixer running on low speed, gradually add the molasses and milk and mix until combined, about 30 seconds.
4. Divide the dough in half, forming each into a ball. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight, or place in the freezer for about 20 minutes, until firm, if you’re in a hurry.
5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
6. Remove one dough sheet from the refrigerator or freezer and place it on a well-floured surface. 
7. Lightly flour the top of the dough and the rolling pin and roll out the dough (dust with a little more flour if needed), until it’s about ½ inch thick. Cut gingerbread men and place them on prepared baking sheets.
8. Refrigerate the gingerbread men for 5 minutes.
9. Bake the cookies until set in the centres, and the dough barely retains an imprint when touched very gently with a fingertip, 8 to 11 minutes (depending on the size of your cookie cutter). Do not overbake.
10. Remove the cookies to a wire rack. Allow to cool to room temperature before frosting.
11. To make the frosting, add butter, milk and powdered sugar to a bowl. Mix until smooth. Add an additional cup of powdered sugar and mix until smooth. 
12. Add frosting to the piping bag if desired. Use the piping bag to draw a design of your choice on the cookie.

Also Read: Christmas Breakfast Traditions Around The World: Dishes To Inspire Your Festive Morning Spread

Panettone Bread By Chef Nishad Sebastin, The Leela Palace Udaipur

Ingredients:

For the Mother Dough:

• 300 g water
• 10 g yeast
• 400 g bread flour
• For the Main Dough:
• 250 g water
• 250 g sugar
• 25 g honey
• 10 ml yeast
• 1000 g bread flour
• 300 g egg yolks
• 20 g salt
• Zest of 2 oranges
• Zest of 2 lemons
• 5 g panettone spice
• 250 g butter

For Soaked Mixed Peel & Fruit:

• 200 g orange peel
• 300 g sultanas
• 100 g almonds
• 200 ml rum
• 100 ml brandy

Method:

1. Mix warm milk, yeast, sugar, and flour. Cover and rest for 30 minutes until bubbly.
2. In a bowl, combine remaining flour, sugar, salt, eggs, yolk, butter, vanilla, and zests. Add sponge and knead until smooth and elastic (10–12 min).
3. Drain the soaked fruits and fold them into the dough evenly.
4. Cover and let rise 11⁄2–2 hours or until doubled.
5. Shape into a round loaf. Place in a buttered panettone mould or tall tin.
6. Let it rise again until doubled. Bake at 180°C for 35-40 minutes or until golden and a skewer inserted comes out clean.
7. Cool upside down (inserted skewers through the base) to prevent collapse. Slice once cooled.

Stollen Bread By Chef Gobu Kumar, Executive Chef, Rosetta Sakleshpur

Ingredients:

To Soak Overnight:

• 150 grams raisins
• 100 grams slivered almonds
• 30 ml rum
• Boiling water

For Roux:

• 30 grams all-purpose flour
• 150 ml milk

For Starter:

• 100 ml milk
• 14 grams active-dry yeast 2 pouches
• 100 grams all-purpose flour

For Main Dough:

• 250 grams butter
• 75 grams granulated sugar
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 pinch nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 400 grams all-purpose flour
• 1 vanilla bean
• 1 teaspoon orange zest

For Shaping:

• 100 grams of marzipan, shaped into two logs right before adding in

After Baking:

• 50 grams of butter
• 50 grams of sugar

After Cooling:

• 150 grams powdered sugar

Method:

1. First, make your roux by combining the flour and milk in a pot and heating for about 3 minutes while constantly stirring. The consistency should be like a thick pudding. Put it in a bowl and let it cool.
2. For the sponge dough, heat the milk to lukewarm, then stir together with the yeast and let it sit and activate for 5 minutes. If the mixture is not bubbly, start over. 
3. Add the flour and knead it together. Put in a small bowl, cover airtight and let rest in a warm spot for 45 minutes.
4. For the main dough, combine the room temperature butter, spices, sugar and salt and whip until creamy.
5. Drain any liquids from the raisin-almond mixture. Scrape the vanilla bean and add it to the bowl with the raisins. Zest the lemon and orange and add to the bowl with the raisins.
6. In a large bowl, add the flour, butter-sugar mixture, the roux and sponge dough. Knead together until combined. Now add the raisin-almond-zest-vanilla mixture and knead until combined.
7. Cover the bowl airtight and let it rest in a warm spot for 1 to 2 hours. The dough should have doubled in size.
8. Divide the dough into two and shape each dough into an oval shape. Do not knead the dough, but just gently shape it instead. Kneading will release too many air bubbles. Divide the marzipan into 2 and shape two logs the length of the loaves.
9. Press a ditch into the loaves, then add the marzipan logs and close the loaves back up, pressing together the seams. The seam will be on top.
10. Cover with a linen towel and let rise for 30 more minutes in a warm spot. Preheat the oven to 200℃.
11. Place loaves on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper and bake on the middle rack for 40 minutes. 
12. Reduce the temperature for the last 15 minutes of baking.
13. After baking, brush the loaves with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar. Let cool completely. Once cooled, cover in powdered sugar, slice, and serve.