This is the first panettone bake since February, and it came out pretty well!
I only have fed the LM a few times since then, and in this case, only once in the past 10 days. It did progress well however, and so I went ahead with the bake.
This is quite different from what I used to do, and is probably due mostly to the LM itself, which has developed some resiliency over time.
I continue to make tweaks to my formula, as I work on goals for crumb, tenderness, shred, etc.
Small changes can make a big difference. ‘
This batch only had a final rise of 3 1/2 hours, which ordinarily would not work out well, but in this case it had plenty of up-front fermentation, and so the final overall fermentation was in the ballpark. I’m happy with the results, and will adjust future bakes accordingly.
- SueVT's Blog
- Log in or register to post comments
Excellent bake, Sue! No less than exceptional, as usual
Jay
It was an interesting one, for sure!
Looks very good, Sue.
Any details on process and formula?
Michael
Beautiful works of art, Sue.
I'm curious about your maintenance of your LM, especially since it was 10 days since it was refreshed?
-Jon
I assume, SueVT ment 10 days in cold storage (fridge?) and afterwards a few warm refreshments until it was balanced for panettone production. Not directly after 10 days in the fridge.
I took it out of the fridge around noon, fed it, let it sit on the counter until the following morning. Temperature in my house is around 70F most of the time. It rose very well, so I fed it again. By the afternoon it had risen dramatically, so I put it in the fridge until that evening, when I made the first dough.
Glad to hear that I'm not the only one running the warm cycle at lower temperatures. In the past I often refreshed 1:1 at 27ºC. But after some time my PM was very lactic with a clear bitter taste (*). Any correction with cold cycles, etc lasted only for a few days.
I lowered the temperature for the warm cycles to 22-24ºC and since then the PM balance is much better.
(*) probably not related to the temp, but who knows.
I’ve gone to ambient temperature, which is working better for me than the variety of strategies I’ve tried before. I don’t think 10 days in the fridge is optimal, but it does work at this point. It depends on your LM and whether it has established a strong and resilient population of yeasts and LAB.
Great crumb structure, nice fermentation! And yes, the "shreddability" and this typical feathery, spongy, extremely soft, "melty" crumb are imo the most important panettone crumb characteristics. More important than open crumb.
Thank you! It’s a subjective thing.. I think a lot of open crumb examples out there are very dry. It’s a balancing act.
You need richness and moistness to carry the flavors. And, the crumb needs to be delicious on its own, apart from inclusions.
Really lovely, Sue.
What size is this one?
Thanks very much! This is a 1 kg loaf, 1050 g dough in the pan, which is the 6 5/8” diameter size.
That is spectacular Sue, something for the rest of us to strive for!
Benny