Hi Community,
First off, what a fantastic resource and community y'all are. Newbie here, and I almost instantly fell down the Panettone rabbit hole. I started in January and finally, FINALLY, this week I have a panettone that is beginning to resemble the image I had in my mind. I read so many past blog posts (especially Susan and MWilson) and consulted many, many recipes online, and even stumbled thru Italian sites with my 2nd grade-level Italian literacy.
My big takeaway: flour strength is paramount. After several failed bakes and poor gluten development, I saw success using flour with vital wheat gluten added. I used Giusto Baker's Choice (11.5% protein) and added some Vital Wheat Gluten (45% protein) to arrive at a blended flour of 14.2% protein. The second dough windowpaned, and the Panettone rose in their molds. I followed all the steps from Breadtopia here, and used the gluten calculator they link to:
https://breadtopia.com/naturally-leavened-christmas-panettone/
I used a stiff starter at 50% hydration, refreshed for a week or so, 2-3x a day, as my schedule allowed. A few times I had to store in the fridge during busy days. On the day of the first dough, I actually had it in the fridge, took it out at noon and then made the dough at 8pm (basically, not sticking to all the strict 4-hour tripling guidance here...still worked out ok somehow). I always stuck to the 60grams starter + 60 grams flour + 30 grams water for refreshments. Regular tap water and Giusto's Bakers Choice flour.
For my next attempts, I'm going to up the protein to 15% and be a little fussier with the starter and try three 4-hour refreshes before mixing the first dough. The crumb was beautiful but I'd like to aim for slightly bigger holes. Nevertheless, this panettone toasted up is heavenly...impossibly light and delicate, considering the amount of yolks and butter. On future attempts, I'll also experiment with flavorings, as I stuck to citrus zests and dark chocolate chips (a minor deviation from the Breatopia recipe linked above).
Thanks again to all the committed, passionate bakers on this site. You inspired me to keep iterating and pushing forward. Baking has been, especially in these times, a soothing way to occupy the mind. The Panettone pathway unspools before me, and I look forward to what it might hold.
