Smoke and Fire and.... Panettone?

09 December 2017

The Thomas Fire is raging to the south, causing Santa Barbara county residents high levels of anxiety for friends and loved ones. Currently the containment is only at 15% and the winds are still blowing.

Information sites:
http://readyventuracounty.org/
http://countyofsb.org/thomasfire.sbc
http://www.fire.ca.gov/current_incidents/incidentdetails/Index/1922
http://www.dailynews.com/2017/12/05/this-map-shows-where-the-thomas-fire-is-burning-in-ventura-county/

The air quality is terrible, and particle masks are being distributed for free (for locations, click here).

So with all THAT going on, it's best to stay indoors. To pass the time, I decided to bake. It is the Christmas season, despite everything, and reminders of holiday foods are everywhere.

I am infatuated with panettone after tasting an Italian imported panettone from Galup which a coworker brought to share. Some panettone are dry, but this was soft and delicious, and just slightly sweet.

My first attempt at homemade panettone was using this recipe from the blog Savoring Italy: Bundt Panettone. I followed the recipe exactly, except for the type of dried fruits.

So far, so good. Photo taken just after pouring it into the pan, ready to begin the rising. I let it rise until doubled, just over an hour, before baking.

Here is the finished product. It looks beautiful, and the flavor is spot on, but the texture didn't turn out as I had hoped. The crumb is dense and dry, and it didn't rise further once in the oven.

After reading still more recipes, it seems the general consensus is that a proper panettone takes days to make and requires live yeast and so on and so forth... but I'm not giving up!

#ThomasFire