It’s been a while since I posted. Life has a way of creeping up on you. I’ve taken a more “low key” approach to my baking in the past 6 months but it’s the holiday season currently and that means Panettone!
Thankfully, I’ve copious notes on how to create Lievito Madre and all my previous Panettone bakes over the past two seasons… always nice to start with good notes!
As a result, my bakes are much more consistent now that I’m paying close attention to details like Ideal Dough Temperature (IDT) and are being much more patient in my process. I’m being mindful of what clues to look for along the way. I’ve now reached the place where I’m recognizing by feel (as well as sight) what the dough needs to feel/look like at each stage of the bake. Experience and being mindful of variables is so critical.
I’ve a couple of bakes completed this season. My biggest learning has been honing my technique for applying the craquelin prior to baking. Before I was inconsistent in its application which then led to inconsistent results. My technique is to now to roll it out as a disk between two sheets of wax paper. The disk diameter matches the panettone diameter. I freeze it for a couple minutes to harden the butter and make the wax paper easy to peel off. The result is that I’ve complete coverage and a uniform thickness. These factors ensure a more consistent and predictable bake (and looks fantastic/professional).
I’m very pleased!
Overall I’m really excited to be baking these again. Additionally, I think my packaging as gifts are on point as well!
This is sufficient writing for now… more bakes are needed still!
Baked By Bear Sourdough 