What does the best panettone recipe contain? If the recipe says open crumb panettone, and I use the ingredients listed, does it mean I'll get an open crumb? If I follow the video I watched and the baker showed open crumb in the end, does it mean I should get the exact result because I followed step by step?
We know that traditionally, and in short, we make short refreshes of the pasta madre 2 to 3 times before production. There is the first dough which we mix, let it proof until it triples, use this dough as a preferment to make the second dough, adding new ingredients, divide, shape, final proof and bake. Then we invert the panettone upside down to cool and set. What if I told you that many unexpected things happened, and the panettone still turned out alright? The panettone in the photo is the result of many mishaps.
Firstly, I did not have enough time to refresh my pasta madre. So, right out of night rest (previously fed 1:1, kept at 16C for 22 hours), I fed it 1:2 ratio at 42% hydration. I let it proof for about 4.5 hours at 27C and used it immediately in my primo. I was hesitant, and also anxious. What if it didn't turn out well? To my surprise, I managed to mix the first dough in only 20 minutes. Here's a snippet of the said mixing.
I usually mix my first dough at night so that it ferments throughout the night and I wouldn't have to worry about it. Unfortunately for me, I overslept and by the time I woke up, the dough grew by 3.5X in 12 hours. Usually in that duration, the dough would not yet triple. So I quickly put it in the fridge for a quick cool down and got ready for my second mix. Again, it surprised me with a very easy mix. I closed the dough in under 25 minutes. It was crazy! The dough felt so good. Also, I mix at the lowest speed only. The final proof took 4 hours instead of 5-6 hours. Oven spring was impressive and look at the end product.
So, what happened? I did not follow the recipe to a tee, but I didn't fail. Question is... What makes a recipe? More fats? More water? Mix at a super high speed?
Let me tell you the best kept secret that is misunderstood by EVERYONE new to panettone making. Panettone is not really about the recipe. It is about your understanding of the process and its complexity that a single misstep can affect the rest of the production like a domino effect. You need to understand your flour. The same brand of flour can perform differently if it's not from the same bag. Different flours perform differently. It's not just about the protein percentage. A change of temperature in your environment, and even in your ingredients can make a difference in fermentation. If the dough gets too warm, you will end up with cake batter.
Then there is mixing and handling, which I think are the most overlooked. Isn't mixing just letting the machine do its thing? Not really. You need to learn to read the dough. In my videos, I emphasize what to look for, and it's really for a reason. It doesn't matter what recipe you're using, what machine you're using... you need to watch the dough and understand what it's trying to tell you. The timing which you insert the next ingredient is vital as the wrong move will be the dough's end.
Lastly, handling. You can be gentle, or you can think you're being gentle. Maybe you need to be more firm and round up the dough tighter. Maybe the dough needs more folding, maybe you just need to leave it alone. Maybe the dough needs 1 hour rest, maybe it only needs 30 minutes. How do you tell?
E-X-P-E-R-I-E-N-C-E. O-B-S-E-R-V-A-T-I-O-N. R-E-P-E-T-I-T-I-O-N.
There is no short cut unfortunately. Let me tell you that when I first started, it never occurred to me there are so many factors involved. I mean, I just have to follow the "recipe", right? Maybe mix really fast and add lots of water? No no and no. It's been more than 3 years, and I'm getting slightly wiser. Panettone is called the Mount Everest of baking for good reason.
It seems like the more I know, the deeper I get in the rabbit hole and the more questions I have. When I get more answers, I will have even more questions. My expectations also changed along the way. I also realised some question that I used to have showed how inexperienced I was. In the end, there is no one right answer to a question. Remember the domino effect I said? It's a combination of things, a collective action, a harmony of process if you will. I know what you're thinking too. "So, I took the time to read this and in the end, there is no answer??!! What BS is this?"
Yup. The sooner you realize this, the sooner you wake up to reality and accept that it's a process, not a recipe. Only then, will you look at the process differently and perhaps ask the right questions.
So, what's the best panettone recipe again?
Happy baking.
xoxo Lily
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