Gluten-Free Panettone (with Biga yeasted pre-ferment)

This is the time of the year for Panettone! And you can make a delicious gluten-free one! Whether you like it with raisin & candied fruit or with chocolate, this recipe will help you get a delicious artisanal gluten-free Panettone with Biga, inspired by the traditional method. It is so good I would definitely share it with people that can eat gluten and bring it to the table instead of a store-bought Panettone (with or without gluten), and not along with it. I made this yeasted version for people who do not have a GF sourdough starter, but if you do have it you should definitely try the gluten-free panettone with sourdough/lievito madre.

Let me insist one more time: this gluten-free panettone is a very good artisanal panettone, it can easily beat store-bought panettone with gluten. The method is inspired by the traditional method, although adjusted for a gluten-free dough.

IT IS ALSO GUM-FREE, BECAUSE IT TASTES BETTER

Moreover, this Panettone is also gum-free. Although in the last years the market has been providing more and more good quality gluten-free panettone, we all know it generally tends to be on the dry side or getting dry relatively quickly. I believe this is due to the use of gums (e.g., Xanthan Gum) as binders. I have tested both recipes with Xanthan Gum and Psyllium Husk. The panettone made with XG was quite good, but a tiny bit on the dry side. The panettone made with psyllium is what made the recipe, because it’s extremely soft and as moist as it should be. It also keeps quite well for a few days. I would say that the one with XG was a good gluten-free panettone, the one in this recipe is a good panettone.

And fear not! It is not difficult to make at all.

EQUIPMENT YOU NEED TO MAKE PANETTONE

If you have a stand mixer, it will be a walk in the park. If you have a good hand mixer with dough hooks, it will be a light jog in the park (that’s what I use). A hand mixer with any other attachments might do the job, although hooks are ideal. If you have none of those, it might take a bit more elbow grease to incorporate the ingredients with a spatula or a whisker, but it should not put you off from trying.

You will need a Panettone mould. These are easy to find on Amazon. I personally use the ones you can find at the link below, the 500g size. If you buy them after clicking on the link, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
One more thing you will need is two long skewers. I have some amazing ones made of stainless steel, but wooden ones might as well do the job. these will be needed to hang the Panettone upside-down while it cools down (as it is done traditionally – my blog is called obsessed cook, did you think I would skip that???)

That is it. You won’t need anything else.

Amazon links below (as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases).

FLOUR BLEND

For the Panettone, I use my Mix 1 flour blend (white rice, oat flour, tapioca starch, potato starch), without whey protein isolate. There are enough proteins in the panettone, thanks to eggs and butter, therefore I do not see the nutritional advantage of adding more proteins (although there could be some very marginal textural advantages).

You can check how to make Mix 1 at Gluten-Free Bread Flour Blends.

If you use powdered psyllium husk, it will absorb liquids very quickly and allow you to gauge hydration. Whole psyllium husk is fine as well, but in my experience it takes longer to absorb liquids, therefore mind that your dough might change texture in the first 10 minutes of mixing.

These are the two psyllium husks I usually work with, both powdered (top) and whole (bottom). As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

THE TEXTURE YOU ARE LOOKING FOR

The video below shows the texture of the panettone dough after you mix the second batch of ingredients (and just before pouring it into the mould to start the second and final rise/fermentation).

This second video (link) also shows the dough being poured into the mould, to show again the texture. The texture of the dough is roughly the same in the yeasted version and sourdough version.

COOLING THE PANETTONE UPSIDE DOWN AT HOME

Panettone is generally cooled down upside-down to make sure the structure and texture hold up. It is not too difficult to achieve that at home. The way I do it is to pierce the base of the panettone with two stainless steel skewers, running parallel but you could try also perpendicular (piercing the panettone as a “cross”). After the skewers are in and piercing the panettone end to end, they will be able to support it upside-down if you hang it on a large pot. See picture below, which will make it clearer.

THIS VERSION IS YEASTED, BUT WE BUILD A BIGA PRE-FERMENT TO TRY AND GET SOME ACIDITY AND FLAVOUR DEVELOPMENT

Panettone is traditionally made with Lievito Madre, which is the traditional Italian sourdough starter. Using lievito madre affects both the flavour and texture of the panettone, due to its acidity and culture of yeasts and bacteria.

We can try to achieve similar results using commercial Baker’s yeast (either dry or fresh) and build a pre-ferment. In the Italian tradition, there are generally two main pre-ferments that are used for breads and other yeasted products: Poolish and Biga. Simplifying a bit, the main difference between the two ferments is that Poolish has a very high hydration (say, 100%, similarly to sourdough starters), while Biga has a low hydration (generally 50%, like lievito madre).

I decided to make panettone with Biga, to try and achieve a culture of bacteria that is more similar to lievito madre, which is the wild yeast starter used in the Italian tradition.

You can use a poolish of course, but there will be slight differences in flavour and potentially texture. High hydration makes an environment that is great for lactic acid bacteria to thrive, while the lower hydration environment of Biga makes an environment similar to that of Lievito Madre, which is great for the development of acetic acid bacteria. Of course, Biga will be fermented for considerably less time than lievito madre, therefore the culture will be different.

Considering we use gluten-free flours, I make a Biga with 67% hydration in order to obtain a similar consistency to a wheat flour Biga (which is generally made with 50% hydration). This means that for each 100g of flour in the Biga we will be adding 67g of water.

My Biga after 7 hours of fermentation:

WHAT YEAST TO USE AND HOW TO WEIGH IT

You can use any type of Baker’s yeast: instant, dry active, or fresh. In the recipe, I provide measurements both for dry/instant yeast and fresh yeast (the ratio I use is 3g of fresh yeast for every 1g of dry yeast). Just use what you have at home or what you like to work with. Remember, all these contain the same family of yeast, which is Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, so they will all bring very similar results. And of course, remember to check that the yeast you are buying is gluten-free.

Unless you have a scale with a precision of 0.01g (like the one below), weighing the yeast might be the most challenging thing of the recipe (which means executing the panettone is not that difficult!). Indeed, as we need the Biga and Panettone to ferment slowly, to develop flavour, we will use as little as 0.25% of the flour amount in dry yeast! This means that for this small size (e.g., 1 panettone), this recipe will ask you at a point to weigh 0.2g of instant or dry yeast! But fear not: if there are small inaccuracies the result and fermentation time will not be too different. Moreover, I have also provided the measurement in volume (e.g., fraction of teaspoon) for instant/dry yeast (fresh yeast is easier to measure).

See also below a picture of a 1/4 teaspoon filled as to get about 0.2g of instant/dry yeast, so to give you an idea of how little you need to use. If in doubt, just put a little less. Remember: yeast reproduces itself, so it is not a matter of whether a dough rises but rather when a dough rises. This is somehow difficult to accept for people with little bread baking experience, used to use 15g of instant yeast for 1kg of flour (which is a lot, and indeed rises a dough in less than 2 hours – and develops little flavour 🙂 ).

For fresh yeast, it is way easier! Just weigh a little cube of about 1g, and then divide it in smaller parts (for example, if you divide it in 4 parts, each parts will weigh about 0.25g; if you divide it in 5 parts, each part will weigh about 0.2g, and so on).

SCHEDULE AND INGREDIENTS RATIOS SUMMARY FOR 1 GLUTEN-FREE PANETTONE

DO NOT STRESS ABOUT THE GLAZE: YOU COULD SKIP IT

To glaze or not to glaze your Panettone? You can definitely skip the glaze. Gluten-free doughs like this one are extremely delicate after they have risen. Therefore, you must be careful with your glaze. I provided a recipe, but do make sure your glaze is thin enough so that you do not need to spread it on the top of the risen dough: you will not be able to do that without deflating it or ripping it off. It is best to have a thin layer of glaze that is runny enough so that you can spoon it gently on top and it will run naturally to the sides.

But again, if you are not confident about it, just skip the glaze. It is totally acceptable as it brings little flavour to the Panettone. I think it is best to have a great over rise than having a glaze. And by the way, you could serve the Panettone with an homemade or good quality almond cream (or using other nuts) so that you bring back the flavour of the glaze, without putting your panettone’s shape and texture in jeopardy.

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Gluten-Free Artisanal Yeasted Panettone (with Biga pre-ferment)

December 19, 2020

Servings: 8

Prep: 1 hr

Cook: 1 hr

Total: 24 hr

Difficulty: Medium

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This Gluten-Free Artisanal yeasted Panettone with Biga is so good that you can serve it to your guest instead of store-bought wheat-based Panettone. Give it a try and you will not regret it!

By: TheObsessedCook

Ingredients

• For the GF Biga pre-ferment
• 80g Mix 1 flour GF blend without WPI
• 53g filtered water
• 0.2g or 1/16tsp of GF dry yeast (or 0.6g of GF fresh yeast)
• For the first dough
• 200g Mix 1 flour GF blend without WPI
• 8g psyllium husks (whole or powder, powder works faster)
• 150g Filtered water
• 125g mature GF Biga pre-ferment
• 0.5g or 1/4tsp of GF dry yeast (or 1.5g of GF fresh yeast)
• 35g unsalted butter (at room temperature, soft but not melted)
• 41g granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• For the second dough
• 50g Mix 1 flour GF blend without WPI
• 2g psyllium husks
• 0.13g or <1/16tsp of GF dry yeast (or 0.4g of GF fresh yeast)
• 50g Filtered water
• 1 large egg yolk and a half
• 35g unsalted butter (at room temperature, soft but not melted)
• 34g sugar
• 5.5g salt
• 100g of raisins and candied fruit OR chocolate chips (re-hydrated the raisins in filtered water for at least 10 minutes)
• Zest of at least 1 orange and 1 lemon
• 1 tbsp vanilla paste
• For the glaze and garnish (optional)
• 30g of almonds (or other nuts of your choice)
• 1 large egg white
• 40g sugar
• 1g potato starch or tapioca starch
• A sprinkle of pearl sugar to garnish

Directions

• Step 1 MIX THE FLOURS. Prepare 330g of Mix 1 GF flour without WPI. Set 80g aside for the Biga. Add 10g psyllium husks to the remaining Mix 1 GF flour (250g). Keep the flour in a sealed container at all times
• Step 2 BIGA PREPARATION. Dissolve the yeast in the water needed for the Biga. Combine the water and flour and knead into a dough. Let the Biga ferment covered (but not sealed) for at least 7h, but up to 48h to develop acidity. It will be ready when it has risen to its peak (generally they rise by 50%), which will happen in 7H to 10H depending on temperature, but you can let it ferment longer before using.
• Step 3 FIRST DOUGH MIXING. Take 208g of the mixture of Mix 1 GF flour and psyllium that you had set aside, leaving aside the remaining 52g. Add the flour blend amount for the first dough batch (208g including psyllium, which you just took) to the bowl of a stand mixer (or to a large bowl if using a handheld mixer with hooks). Use the hook attachment. Add the water, the Biga, the yeast, and one of the eggs and start mixing at low speed until it forms a dough. When combined, add the second egg. Raise the speed to medium. The dough should be fairly hydrated, thicker than a batter but definitely looser than a bread dough. If you use whole psyllium husks, mind that it can take up to 10 minutes for it to fully absorb liquids. It will be way faster with powdered psyllium husk. Add the sugar until combined, in two batches. Finally, add the butter until combined, in two batches. Keep mixing until you reach 15 minutes total mixing time (it is indicative, there is no gluten so the main objective is to have all ingredients combined extremely well but also to work the proteins – it generally takes about 7/8 minutes to work in ingredients, then I keep mixing for 7 min more).
• Step 4 FIRST DOUGH FERMENTATION. When done, cover the bowl very well (for example, with plastic wrap) and let rest at room temperature for 10 to 12 hours, or until the dough is fully risen (it will almost double in volume).
• Step 5 SECOND DOUGH MIXING. At least 30 minutes before mixing the rest of the ingredients, prep your raisins/chocolate as following. If using raisins and candied fruit, cover them with filtered water so that they will hydrate. If using chocolate chips, sprinkle them with a little rice flour and put them in the freezer until you need them. I also like to mix the aromatics (vanilla, lemon and orange zest) with the butter, so that it starts infusing. Start to again mix the dough that just finished fermenting at low speed. Add the remaining flour (52g including psyllium) and water (50g) with the yeast dissolved into it, and mix until combined. Raise the speed to medium and add the yolks. Mix until incorporated. Add the sugar, in two batches. When incorporated, add the butter and the aromatics (vanilla paste, lemon and orange zest), in two batches. Finally add the salt. Mix until you reach 15 minutes total mixing time (again, indicative time). Drain the raisins and candied fruit or take the chocolate chips from the freezer and remove excess flour (depending if using raisins or chocolate). Lower the speed of the mixer to minimum and add the raisins or chocolate. Mix for a very short amount of time, until incorporated. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and with the help of a spatula fold the dough onto itself to make sure raisins/chocolate are well distributed in the mass of the dough. The dough should be very soft and thinner than a bread dough. You should be able to almost pour it, but you will need the help of a spatula to push it off the bowl.
• Step 6 SECOND FERMENTATION IN MOULD. Put your Panettone mould on a small baking tray you can easily move around (the dough will be very delicate and the mould is soft: you will not be able to touch the mould once the dough has risen). Pour the dough into the mould, with the help of a spatula. It should fill the mould up to 60/70% of its height (so a bit more than half). Gently grab the mould by its edges, lift it a few centimetres, and drop on the table/baking tray to push out air and make the dough levelled. Cover with an upside-down pot or large bowl so that the mould is covered but the dough will not stick to the cover or touch it at any time (again, it is very delicate). Let rise for 3 to 4 hours, or until the dough has almost reached the hedges of the mould and shows a slight dome-like shape on top.
• Step 7 GLAZE [OPTIONAL]. To make a glaze, add the nuts to a food processor and blitz until powdered (but do not take it too far, or they will become nut butter). Add the starch first and combine. Finally add the rest of the ingredients and blitz for a minute or two until well combined and slightly thickened. If too thick, thin it out with more egg white or water. Keep in mind that the dough will be extremely delicate: there is no chance to spread the glaze with a spoon or brush, so it should be thickened but still runny so that it will coat the panettone without spreading it.
• Step 8 BAKING. 1 hour before the second rise is over, pre-heat your over at 170C/338F (160C/320F fan). When the second rise is over, if using gently drop a few teaspoons of glaze on top of the panettone dome, letting it run naturally over it (do not spread it). Move the tray with the panettone on a rack in the middle of the oven and bake for 1 hour or until the internal temperature reaches 95C / 203F (due to the high hydration, sometimes it can get past it and reach close to 100C/212F, that is fine).
• Step 9 COOLING UPSIDE DOWN. When ready, gently pierce the panettone a couple of centimetres from the base with two skewers. The skewers should be parallel between themselves and far apart. They should pierce the panettone from one side and come out from the other. This process should be done quickly, so the panettone can be hanged upside-down asap. Once the skewers are in place, gently flip the panettone and hang it upside-down on a pot to cool (the panettone will not touch the bottom of the pot because it will be suspended by the skewers laying on the edges of the pot). See pictures in article. Let the panettone cool down until cold (at least 2H), but ideally more than 4H or overnight.
• Step 10 GARNISH AND SLICE. If using, sprinkle some pearl sugar on the panettone. Slice and serve with coffee or with some good quality nut cream (e.g., pistachio cream or almond cream work great).