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stefoodie
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| Posted: Nov 06 2006 at 8:38am | IP Logged
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Since there are some avid bakers here, AND Italians (I just was at the ethnicity thread Nina started  ) I thought I'd ask here:
I'm planning to make some panettone this year. This has been on my to-do list ever since we had our first panettone 8 years ago, and the year that we went to Italy it was November and we just about bought every kind of panettone we set our eyes on -- gas stations, airport, little town shops, etc.
So... my panettone papers are on its way here from La Cuisine, I've got the Peter Reinhart (Bread Baker's Apprentice) recipe, one from eGullet and one from the sourdough yahoogroups, and a couple other sites, with tips etc. -- but still wondering if there were any nuggets of info I could glean here?
Two questions no one has been able to answer: Some people say panettone should be baked upside down but I have no idea how to do that in my oven -- thinking of maybe stringing something through the panettone paper and tying that onto the oven rack -- but then how do you keep the dough in??? Or would it be so thick that it wouldn't fall out? Others say they should be cooled upside down to minimize on the "falling". I'm thinking chopsticks poked into the paper and set upon two canisters, but then that won't make for a nice presentation afterwards, would it? So... any tips?
Thanks so much in advance!
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stef
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marihalojen
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| Posted: Nov 06 2006 at 7:41pm | IP Logged
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Gosh, I don't know about upside down cooking, Stef. Angel food cake is cooled upside down on a coke bottle, would it be something similar?
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MaryMary
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| Posted: Nov 06 2006 at 9:55pm | IP Logged
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Hi Stef!
OOOOOOOHHHHHH! We LOVE panettone! It just wouldn't be Chrismas without it. My parents usually have 3 or 4 varieties on hand for the holidays. From what I understand, because it is so readily manufactured in Italy (from Motta, Tre Marie, Alemagna) hardly anybody there makes it anymore. I have never made panettone myself  , neither has my mom (who was born and raised in Italy), so take any of the following advice for what it's worth... 
I have heard that it is better to use the more natural yeast called "Lievito" rather than the yeast that is usually found in stores for baking and bread-making. I remember as a little girl, my mom always used this yeast for her baking and it was only found in Italian specialty shops. Just the other day I saw those familiar packets in our grocery store here, so it shouldn't be hard to find. The other thing that I've heard is that all ingredients should be room temp. before mixing, I'm not exactly sure why this is the case...
I would second Jen's advice for cooling it upside down, that is if you are baking it in a bundt or angel food cake pan with a hole in the center.
More importantly, while it is baking, you need to read Tomie dePaola's book, "Tony's Bread" to your children. It is all about the legend surrounding the creation of the first panettone... a really delightful tale!
Please let us know how it goes!
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JennGM
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| Posted: Nov 07 2006 at 1:26pm | IP Logged
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MaryMary wrote:
Hi Stef!
OOOOOOOHHHHHH! We LOVE panettone! It just wouldn't be Chrismas without it. My parents usually have 3 or 4 varieties on hand for the holidays. From what I understand, because it is so readily manufactured in Italy (from Motta, Tre Marie, Alemagna) hardly anybody there makes it anymore. I have never made panettone myself , neither has my mom (who was born and raised in Italy), so take any of the following advice for what it's worth... |
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Good for you, Stef! All the Italians I know say the same thing...they buy their panettone. Few bake their own.
And we love it, too. I got my mil also hooked on it. She now expects us to bring a few when we go up for Christmas. 
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Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to  & ds1  '03 & ds2  '07
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4Real Forums : Tea and Conversation
Topic: Italian panettone questions, anyone?
