The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.
SylviaH's picture
SylviaH

I baked this panettone for the first time last year HERE  and loved it so much I'm baking it for family and friends again this year.  No matter what formula you choose...do make a panettone, you will love it and want it everyear...and it's really not as difficult as it seems...really! 

It was done a little different from last years...mixing was done both KA and hand, toppings, fruits, brandy, liqueur and extracts.  I won't have a crumb shot, maybe in about 3 days.  I know the flavor really comes through with a little time...it just gets better and when it does begin to dry a little...Oh what delicious bread pudding..that is if there's any left.  Last year I used the chocolate topping from Susans wildyeastblog and this year a delicous plain Almond Paste topping.  I used all dried fruits.  I made 2 large panettone and 3 smaller ones..my new smaller panettone molds were found at Sir La Table and just arrived this afternoon...in time for the second batch.  I made double formula this year.

 

                                          

                                              Dried fruit blend with a little brandy, Disaronno, Fiori de Silica and extracts of orange, lemon

 

                                                                        This is a double batch of fruit.

 

                                The babysat, pampered for hours and for days now ready sponge.

                        

 

                                                  Cooling  -  I inserted the wooden skewers after they were baked - It can be done before the batter goes

                                                   into the paper molds...which is better...I forgot to do it before baking.  The bread is hot and you don't want

                                                   to squish it while inserting the skewers.

                                  

 

                                                      Cooled Panettone with Almond Paste Topping

                                                                        Almond Paste Topping Recipe

                                                                         1/2 Cup of good quality Almond Paste, room temperature

                                                                          3 Tablespoons of Bakers Sugar - I use bakers sugar in most of my pastry baking

                                                                           you can use regular granulated sugar.

                                                                            2 Egg Whites. 

                                                                  Beat until creamy and smooth consistancy from spreading, being careful not to deflate your

                                                                   panettone.  Add sliced almonds and pearl sugar.  Or you can use powdered sugar.  It can be

                                                                   also be refrigerated and rewhipped smooth before using.  I applied it very thick, love the crunch

                                                                   and flavor.

 

                                         

                                           My Italian neighbors lovely oranges, I use for citrus peel and zest.  Oranges in exchange for Panettone!

                                           They are delicious, their Cara Cara Oranges have the lovliest pinkish tinge and make gorgeous colorful peel.

 

                                                                 ADDED: Crumb shot, Mike couldn't wait another day! Just delicous addicting! 

                                                         

                                                                     The almond slivers seem to dissappear into the crumb but are a wonderful addition.

                                                          I had forgotten to purchase some and was so relieved when I found a new bag in my

                                                          freezer.

 

                                      

                                                         

                    Happy Holiday Baking!

                            Sylvia

                                                      

 

                         

dmsnyder's picture
dmsnyder

Some of the breads I baked on Day 2

The second day of the Artisan II workshop was spent mostly baking the breads for which we had fed the levains and scaled the ingredients yesterday. We also mixed levains and scaled for tomorrows bakes. Classroom time was bits and pieces between dough foldings and during fermentation, but the content was very good.

The instructional goal of today's baking was to see the effects of different types and proportions of levains on flavor. We baked four breads which differed only in these respects.

  1. Bread made with a levain fed once a day. (All the others were made with levain fed twice a day.) This bread was notably more sour than any of the others.

  2. Bread made with liquid levain at 100% hydration. (All the others were made with firm levain at 50% hydration.) This bread had notably less acetic acid tang and a noticeable milky lactic acid flavor – very pleasant.

  3. Bread made with 40% firm levain.

  4. Bread made with 70% firm levain.

     

The last two were not very different from each other in sourdough tang, but the 70% levain bread had a less pleasant, “metallic” after taste, according to some. I didn't perceive the after taste myself. The main take away lesson was that the frequency of starter feeding has more impact on bread flavor than the amount of levain used in the final dough and that the use of liquid versus firm starter really does make a difference in the balance of acetic versus lactic acid flavor in the bread.

Preparing to taste the breads

In the classroom today, Frank reviewed the application of baker's math to breads made with levains and the SFBI's recommendations for levain maintenance for home bakers. I won't go over the baker's math topic, but I'm sure the recommendations for levain maintenance are of interest to many.

The SFBI staff clearly favors keeping liquid levains and twice a day feedings. They also favor keeping your mother/stock starter at 400-500 g. They say smaller amounts result in poorer flavor. However, they also favor feeding your starter in a manner which minimizes the amount of starter you end up discarding. This is accomplished by determining exactly how much starter to feed to get the amount of levain you need to make your dough and not making too much excess.

For a liquid levain feeding, the recommended formula is:

Flour 100% (75% AP flour + 25% WW)

Water 100%

Starter 40%

Again, it is recommended that you feed every 12 hours and that you do two feeding prior to mixing your final dough.

For a firm levain feeding, the recommended formula is:

Flour 100% (same mix as above)

Water 50%

Starter 50%

For the weekend baker, it is recommended that you feed your levain (liquid or firm) as follows:

Flour 100%

Water 50%

Starter 25%

And refrigerate this immediately after the feeding. Activation prior to baking should done with 2 feedings (as described above) at 12 hour intervals. In other words, to mix a dough on Saturday morning, the refrigerated starter should be fed Friday morning and Friday evening.

Frank told us that all of these recommendations derived from extensive experimentation with different formulas and schedules. SFBI staff believes that they result in the best tasting bread. (Need I say that, if your taste differs, you come out of this workshop knowing just what you need to change to get the flavor you prefer?)

At the lunch break, I asked Frank about the formula for miche in AB&P which violates almost all these recommendations. I have described this previously in my TFL blog. He thought this was interesting enough to provide the answer in the next class session.

Michel Suas' intension with his miche formula was to reproduce a bread as close to the traditional miche as possible, and that required knowledge of traditional French village home baking. In the old days – say 150 or more years ago – home made bread was mixed at home but taken to a communal oven or to the village baker to bake in a wood fired oven. The loaves were huge, by today's standards, because baking was a once-a-week chore. So, after the dough was mixed (before adding salt), a portion was removed to perpetuate the culture. This was fed through the week every day, without discarding any of the growing levain. On baking day, some additional flour and water were added, as well as the salt. But, the bulk of the dough consisted of the built up levain. Little additional fermentation was needed. The resulting loaf was very large, very dense and very, very sour. (Frank describes this with a look of disgust on his face.)

While today's breads were baking, we mixed the levains and scaled ingredients for tomorrow's bakes. We will be baking a variety of breads with levain that were made with commercial yeast during the Artisan I class: A whole wheat bread, multi-grain bread, rye bread and challah. We also fed our “from scratch” starters with which we will make breads Friday.

David

sshipper's picture

Regulations for Opening a Home Based Baking Business in North Carolna

December 14, 2010 - 8:16pm -- sshipper

I am open any info available concerning kitchen inspection regulations by the Agriculture Dept.  I have filled out the application for inspection and the business plan.  Any feedback from someone who has gone through this is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Stephanie

Thaichef's picture

Great price for Brotform and others

December 14, 2010 - 6:27pm -- Thaichef
Forums: 

Good Evening:

  A friend of mine e-mail me a great web site for bread head like me. The web site is "brotform.com".  I am very happy because I found the cheapest price on the Brotforms. I also found the other breads tools which are on sale at this time. Check it out.  I am doing all of my bread tools shopping at this site.

Happy shopping.

mantana

dgasler's picture

KA Artisan MIxer Problem

December 14, 2010 - 4:50pm -- dgasler
Forums: 

Quick Question...

Just got my new Artisan mixer and tried my first loaf.

Rye bread. 5 minute method etc.

mixed the flours and other dry ingredients first with the whisk.

changed to the dough hook then added the water and molasse and mixed.

 

it wouldnt mix all the way to the bottom.

what did i do wrong? i would scrape it down and it would help.

if i sped it up ( I mixed on level 2) it would bring up some more of the flour.

CoveredInFlour's picture

Chocolate Babka from Canadian Living Dec 2010 Magazine

December 14, 2010 - 12:15pm -- CoveredInFlour
Forums: 

I made these today as Christmas gifts for friends. I left off the Streusel topping, dusting them with cinnamon sugar. I also added cinnamon sugar to the filling.  They smell really good!!

Chocolate Babka

By The Canadian Living Test Kitchen

This yeast coffee cake, named after the Yiddish or Polish baba, or grandmother, is often found in Jewish bakeries or delis.

Preparation time: 15 minutes Stand: 2-1/2 hours.

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