I've been baking more panettone than usual this season, mostly classic candied orange and raisin, but also chocottone and caramel apple flavors.
Each one is a bit different, and each bake presents its challenges. It's important to adapt to the context of each bake. Factors like the activity level of the LM, the ambient temperature, the type of ingredients must be considered.
But every time they go into the oven, it's exciting to watch them become grandi lievitati..
Here is a recipe that has produced some nice panettones for me. If you consider making this recipe, you'll probably want to scale it down.This amount of dough makes three 1 Kg loaves with some left over:
And here's a little process sheet that I put together, to record the specifics of each bake.
Things to keep in mind:
- Make sure your lievito madre is very active before attempting a panettone bake
- Mix each ingredient addition in thoroughly before adding more or going to the next step
IN PARTICULAR, the water and flour step at the beginning of the first impasto should be very well mixed, and after the addition of the LM, it must be mixed to full windowpane. This is your only chance to get this gluten development. Similarly, the first step of the second impasto must be very well developed before proceeding.
- Watch your dough temperature! Try not to go over 26-27C during mixing. Cool the dough off if necessary before continuing. Use COLD water and COLD butter to help keep the temperature down. Some mixers heat the dough more than others.
- Mix SLOWLY. Let the mixer be your hands.
- Baking: Start hot, to allow the loaf to have a quick oven spring, then reduce the temperature in stages so that the loaf cooks evenly and doesn't dry out on the outside. Don't disturb the loaves until the last 10 minutes of baking, then turn them so they finish cooking evenly. Check internal temperature before removing from oven!
Most importantly, ENJOY the process, it is really a lot of fun. Any failures you might have along the way should be seen as steps toward success!
I've finished baking for this year I believe! But I'm thinking about a candied chestnut panettone....
Happy Holidays! - Sue
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And positively levitating :) They look gorgeous, Sue.
Thank you very much Debra! It's such an interesting process!
Sue, these are nothing short of perfection. You have honed your skills and knowledge, thank you for sharing the details with those of us just starting panettone.
Out of curiosity, can you share your pH data with us? I see your first spreadsheet has pH as the final column.
All the best, Merry Christmas.
Benny
If I haven't been baking in a month or so and the LM has been in storage, I will usually complete all the lines at the top of my form. If I am currently "in production", making sequential batches, then I may be only completing two or even one refreshment prior to mixing.
For this batch, I only did one refreshment, duration about 6 hours, ending pH 4.53. This goes against the traditional recipe logic of a series of three 3.5-4 hour refreshments which end with doubling and a pH of 4.10 (ideally). I deliberately manage my LM in such a way that it rises well while acidifying a bit more slowly.
The ending pH of the 1st impasto after 12.5 hours fermentation at 23C (raised to 26C for the final two hours) was 4.91. That is pretty good assurance that the gluten will still be in good shape for starting the 2nd impasto. The dough just tripled at 12 hours, which is on the trajectory you'd like to see.
Overall, I think my LM is not quite as active as I'd like to see it, and could have used an additional day of feeding prior to bake day refreshment(s). Still, it produced a very nice batch.
Final proofing was just a bit slower at 5.5 hours, really "should" be 4 hours.
And Merry Christmas to you too Benny!
Sue
This year's 'crop' looks particularly lovely, Sue. I've never made panettone, and odds are when I eventually do, it will be at the wrong time of the year. Have always found yours inspirational particularly the caramel apple sounds like my kind of thing.
-Jon
Thank you for the kind words! Every batch is a new adventure, and for me it is a year-round activity.
Cheers, Sue
These look great Sue! Lovely and festive and its always good to mix it up with different flavours...
At a glance the recipe looks like Roy's or something similar?
I like your process sheet, its good discipline to keep a record of the details.
I'm with you on the use of cold butter and cold water... I've welcomed the cold weather because it makes life easier when mixing panettone dough! Keeping the dough temp below 26C can sometimes be an uphill battle with my mixer, especially in the warmer months!
Are you still adding sugar to your LM?
Thanks for sharing.
Happy holidays,
Michael
Nope, not Roy's. This is more what I think of as "European" style, with considerably more egg etc. I have found that egg really does deliver more flavor and tenderness, which is what I'm looking for. I have used some recipes that really have too much, so it has to be a balance. I've been tweaking this recipe for months now, and will continue to do so, but at this point it does a pretty good job (with my particular LM and process). I help regulate acidification of the first dough by shifting more sugar to the first dough as needed.
I am using about 70% "regular" LM (no sugar) and 30% sugared LM. It's been working well, but it's one of those things you have to watch and monitor. For shokupan, I use 100% sugared LM to protect against acidifying the lean dough.
Regards and very happy holidays!
Sue
Vis a vis your recipe, I'm putting it into my calculator, is the white chocolate an add-in or is it melted into the dough?
What I have so far...
It's an inclusion, and optional at that for purists!
Gorgeous like always! And the amount of raisins and candied oranges is almost unlawful high :D
Thanks for sharing the process sheets. Something like this has been for long time on my TODO list. Now I have a good template ;)
A few questions out of curiosity:
Does the spiral mixer make a big difference in the end result (gluten structure, oxygen incorporation) compared to a planetary mixer (Kenwood Chef, etc)? I assume, that whoever is using a planetary mixer, knows what it does and uses it very "wisely".
Which fiori di Sicilia are you using? Is there a big difference in taste and aroma compared to orange zest, lemon zest and other citrus fruits? Or do you use it only to spare time and effort?
Happy Holidays!
Yes, lots of inclusions! I hand-cut the orange peels because I like some bigger pieces, too.
The spiral mixer does a very good job of developing the gluten and can handle larger batches easily. I am not familiar with the Kenwood mixer, but I have read good things about it. I know that many people get very good results with smaller planetary mixers, though in theory they heat the dough somewhat more. The spiral mixer is expensive however. A dive arm mixer is best
If the dough gets too hot in the planetary mixer, you can always stop the process for a while to cool the cough in the refigerator or freezer.
I use King Arthur fiori di sicilia, but they are repackaging it I think. I have tried various brands and some are definitely better than others. I have made my own mandarin orange paste, and have tried brands from France and Italy. You can get a great flavor without fiori di sicilia by using vanilla bean and orange paste, and I do this sometimes.
I watch the acidity of add-ins pretty carefully to avoid introducing excess acidity in this way. I also soak, drain and rinse any fruits that have been treated with sulphur dioxide, then pat dry before using. The apples I use in the caramel apple flavor are SD-free.
Regards, Sue
These look fabulous, Sue! And thank you for sharing your formulae.
Do you think the LMz performs as well as the normal LM?
One of these days I'll give panettone another try!
Lance
I hope you do bake some panettone, it is a good project. I use about 70% regular LM and about 30% sweet LM when making panettone, to ensure strong activity and to temper the acid development.
Best regards, Sue