December 21, 2024 - 6:10pm
Can primo impasto be refrigerated for ~24hrs?
Help! I just finished preparing the primo for three 1kg panettoni about 3 hours ago, but didn't think to check the ETA of my molds on Amazon until just now. They won't be here until tomorrow afternoon! I had been planning on mixing the secondo first thing tomorrow, but obviously I can't do that without the molds. Is there any way to retard the primo so that I can bake later tomorrow or even on Monday, or would that ruin it?
My only other option would be to use the 8 small molds I have leftover from last year, but I'd have to throw out a third of my primo because the rest wouldn't fit.
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If I were you I would let the first dough ferment overnight, as usual, but get up early and try to catch it when it has about doubled in size. At that point I would refrigerate it and then bring it out when your molds arrive tomorrow, let it rest at warm temperature until it has risen to at least 2-1/2 times, and then begin mixing your second dough.
If you need to stretch it to Monday, I would let it rise tonight for maybe 4 or 5 hours and then put it in the fridge until it’s about 8 hours before you want to start your second dough. At that point, take it out and let it ferment at a warm temperature until risen between 2-1/2 and 3 times. Then proceed with preparing second dough.
I think this should work fine, but you might want to wait and see if you get responses from some of the panettone experts on the forum.
Good luck.
Thanks for the tip! Unfortunately, I just woke up and found it not doubled, not tripled, but sextupled in volume after about 11 hours. I really should've had another practice run this year before Christmas, but it is what it is. The primo didn't taste sour to me, and the structure didn't look broken down at all, so I'm hoping at least the small panettoni will turn out. I stuck the other 33% of the primo in the freezer to rapid chill and will switch it to the fridge in 30 minutes or so to see if I can use that for a single large panettone later.
Sounds like your lievito madre was/is extremely active.... but if your structure is still good and the recipe you used balanced the sugar appropriately, you could still be ok for the second dough.
Refrigerating the primo is supposedly ok to do, but it should be in a cold fridge. Freezing can be destructive.
regards, Sue
I have a pH meter, but I've had occasion to use it so infrequently that I never feel like it's worth the hassle to calibrate it. My 8 small panettoni look fine from the outside, they were just a little slower to proof. I think I had the primo a bit too warm overnight.
I'll have to be patient to find out what the crumbs are like; we're flying to my in-laws tomorrow and not having the panettone until we get back and take them to my parents' house on Saturday.
I decided against using that last chunk of primo, but it did more than double again in the fridge.
Just cool it down as fast as you can. Put the dough in the fridge; that’ll slow down the fermentation process and give you time until tomorrow or even Monday.
Yes, it can with no ill effects.. I regularly retard the primo and/or the proofed panettone.