Panettone...I made it!!

Panettone is probably one of the top three items on my husbands favorite food list - he can eat an entire one himself and still ask me if I have more.  So every year I wait for it to be available and buy a few.  This year we were going to a Christmas Party and I offered to bring one for the party, but then I couldn't find them anywhere!!  So two days before the party I finally decided to see what it would take to make my own - I had no delusions that I would be able to make it taste as good as the real thing, but maybe it would still be tasty...

The first Panettone recipe I found seemed easy - a little too easy - but I thought why not?  So I threw it together the night before...it was beautiful, it looked good and had the fluffy flaky consistency I was hoping for...

 

...and it tasted like ham.  No joke - it really tasted like ham - what the ?!  Well - it was still warm, maybe that would make a difference - nope, it still tasted like ham several hours later.  I did add a bunch of different fruit instead of just the raisins (like the recipe called for) - maybe I made a bad combination?  I blamed it on the dried apricots, but it turned out it wasn't them (see below)...

Instead of giving up I decided to go ahead and make the second Panettone recipe, which called for a biga (where the yeast rises overnight - similar to a sourdough starter but not as developed).  I set the biga to rise overnight and then completed the recipe the next day.  This one was much better - it was close to the correct taste, but not as fluffy and flaky as the original Panettone would be.  I'm pretty sure that it was my fault because I forgot to add the additional yeast until the very end of the kneeding, so it didn't rise as well as I think it could have.  I will definitely be making it and continuing to tweak it until I get it right - especially since Eric knows I can make it any time of the year now!! 

I also made a second batch of the first recipe (you know - the one that tasted like ham...).  This time I just used the golden raisins the recipe called for and it still tasted like ham - I have no idea what the problem is!!

Luckily, I also finally found the store Panettone on Saturday morning and I bought three...One for the party and two for Eric.

Here is a comparison:

The one on the left is the one that tasted more like the real thing, but see how much smaller it is.  The middle one is the one that tasted like ham, I give up on that one.  The one on the right is the store bought one.  I think I will try to find the wrappers to make itrise taller, my pans just aren't made to let it get that tall, so hopefully next time I can get the right consistency!

Here is my last thought on it: If you like to bake and experiment - definitely give this recipe a try!  There are so many variations, and it is easy - it just requires time to rise a few times.

Have a great day!
Beth