It’s holiday time! My special guest is my adorable Italian Chef father, aka Papà Chef!

Growing up with a Chef dad was always exciting. Whatever I wanted, he could whip up - and using natural ingredients. When I became veg* at age 12 and my parents realized it was gonna stick, they did their all to ensure not only that I got proper nutrition but that I would enjoy every meal as if being vegan was normal (to me it was - and is ;-) but to the world, especially then…!) We love to experiment and make things that aren’t necessarily the current trend. Panettone was “foreign” to us, being Southern Italians, but to immigrants anything that ties them to home feels like home. So, Papà Chef and I tested this panettoncini - or mini panettone - recipe… to share with you! Just in time for the holidays.

Ingredients

4 cups gluten free bread flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp xanthum gum

2 x 7g sachets dried yeast

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup almond milk

5 flax eggs

3/4 cup vegan butter

1 cup currants

2 tbsp vegan rum

*Flax egg: Combine 5 Tbsp flax meal with 15 Tbsp. water and chill for 15-30 minutes

Recipe

1. Gently warm the almond milk.

2. Tip the yeast and half of the sugar into the milk with 1 tbsp flour. Mix well and allow to prove for a couple of minutes.

3. Place the remaining flour, sugar, baking powder, and xanthum gum into the food processor and process briefly to mix.

4. Add the vegan butter and process until the dough is crumbly.

5. Pour in the flax egg* and yeast mixture and process until it forms a stiff batter.

6. Add the currants and rum and pulse briefly to mix.

7. Tip the mixture into a large bowl. Cover with cling wrap and leave to prove for 1 hour.

8. Spoon the dough into the panettone cups and smooth the surfaces. Cover with cling wrap and leave to prove for another hour.

9. When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 355°F, place the cups on a baking sheet, and bake for 25 minutes. Reduce the heat to 300°F and cover the cake with foil. Bake for another 35 minutes or until it is cooked through.

10. Cool on a wire rack.