April 5, 2022 - 12:32pm
Pear and Chocolate Colomba by Federica Russo
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Pear and Chocolate Colomba by Federica Russo
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The Fresh Loaf
A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.
Looks fantastic!
Thanks for posting this colomba masterclass Michael. We thought we'd done well in scoring a Tre Marie colomba this year. But after watching that performance ... wow. The professionalism ("controlled granulometry" @ 3:47...huh?) and precision ("between pH 4.1 and 4.15") is phenomenal. And true to form, Italians' incomparable mastery of food pairing: Not just pear and chocolate, but Williams pears and 55% cacao.
Ok, who's up for a little trip to suburban Turin next Easter? Count me in.
Tom
Glad you enjoyed Tom. I agree, it's a great watch. Historically speaking, Italians do seem to possess an innate ability to seamlessly blend science with artistry but also with gastronomy too!
The controlled granulometry of the sugar, indeed who would have thought that could be a crucial factor! If I understand, I think she suggests the consistency of the product helps with getting a feel for its incorporation during mixing.
Lots of fine details really make the product!
Count me in for a trip to Piemonte! To date, I have only passed through when driving from Milan to Genoa.
Michael
Wow they are incredible, thanks for sharing the video Michael, nice to see how these are shaped.
Benny
Thanks for watching Benny. Indeed, an opportunity to pick up some tips! ;)
Interesting how the crumb structure is considerably different to a naturally leavened panettone.
Lance
Interesting, how so Lance?
The crumb on a Panettone can vary considerably. For example, Shvartzapel started a craze on crazy open crumb panettone, although you might hear of some Italian maestros being rather unimpressed. It's all good in my book!
Michael
I was thinking that panettone tended to have a more vertically elongated crumb compared to that Colomba.
Something like this:
Ah ok, a few things I can say...
When I looked at the formula for this Colomba, I noted that a considerable portion of the flour is given to the second dough, more like a LM croissant dough or LM doughnut dough, which makes sense as this would make a dough with less strength.
Panettone requires a lot of strength because it is tall and carries a high proportion of add-in ingredients which need to be lifted up and a vertically elongated crumb is a sign of this.
A Colomba has a lower profile and so it doesn't need a dough with so much strength.
The shape and height alone will influence the crumb also.