I learned a lot about panettone baking this year. My bakes became more consistent, and I was able to experiment with different concepts and approaches. (It’s a good idea to nail down a basic recipe and process before embarking on experimentation)
Panettone has so many variables, that it’s good to concentrate on changing only a few things with each bake. Ingredient amounts, hydration, mixing technique, lievito madre maintenance and use, acidity control, shaping, fermenting, handling, proofing, baking……… My advice? Keep notes and dated photographs for reference if possible. For instance, I might experiment only with the way I am baking, changing the temperature every X minutes, etc.
Late in the year, I installed a new oven. This proved to be both a challenge and a game-changer. I came to appreciate the effect of convection oven size as it affects the bake.
I thought a lot about ingredient balances, which turned out to be a controversial subject. The world of panettone bakers is Extremely competitive, and some of the maestros out there are quite negative toward information that doesn’t reinforce their current thinking. For instance, one person insists that it’s impossible to have a stable sweet stiff starter (I know this to be untrue), another one claims that it’s impossible to influence fermentation and the only thing that matters is prefermented flour percentage. Another says that the lievito madre balance is the only factor that controls the outcome. They are dismissive of each other, jealous of success, secretive with their information, and sensitive to perceived criticism.
Since I am not a maestro, I’m free from most of this kind of thinking. I have taken inspiration from some, and have ignored others. For instance, thinking about chocolate panettone, I tried a few recipes that were either too bland or too heavy. Drawing on what I’ve been learning about ingredient relationships, I developed my own recipe that was quite pleasing (not sharing this today, but soon)
I’m going to do some experiments with the PFF angle, since the enzymatic action that takes place in the first dough seems key to texture development. Then I’ll revisit the chocolate panettone recipe, though it is really very good right now.
I was also very happy with my Classico, which came out very consistently and well.
Onward and upward in 2026! - Sue
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...look as good as any maestro's.
Thank you so much Moe!! Much appreciated.