Right off the bat, I am confused, I tried making the Biga in the larger bowl this morning at 10am, had trouble putting it in a ball, i just made the second (white bowl) I mixed with my fingers both so dry, is this right?

This is the one we’ve been building toward all season. This weekend’s Bake-Along is panettone, and because this bake asks more of you than anything we’ve done this year, we’re running it across two days: Saturday, November 14 and Sunday, November 15. Day one is the first dough. Day two is the second dough, the bake, and the overnight hang. If your schedule pushes you a day off, that’s fine. Post whenever you get there. Nobody’s racing. The goal is a tall, feathery panettone, not a finish line. You’ve got two paths. Path one: Panettone with Lievito Madre. The traditional Milanese method. Three refreshes, two doughs, the scarpatura, the twelve-hour hang. This is for bakers who already have a converted, proven madre that triples in three to four hours at 82F. If yours passes that test, this is your weekend. https://recipepantry.app/recipes/panettone-lievito-madre Path two: Your First Panettone. A two-day yeasted method built on a stiff biga. Same architecture as the traditional loaf, same mold, same hang, but predictable and no starter required. I baked this one last year and it impressed me. Soft, buttery, full of orange and honey. If this is your first panettone, or you just want to watch the madre bakers work without the pressure, bake this one. You’ll be proud of it. https://recipepantry.app/recipes/your-first-panettone Don’t have a madre yet? Start it today. The conversion from your regular starter takes three to four weeks, which puts a finished madre right in time for a Christmas bake. Bake the yeasted version this weekend, start converting tonight, and come back for the real thing in December. https://recipepantry.app/recipes/lievito-madre-conversion Gather this week: - 1 kg paper panettone mold (6.75 x 4.25 inch) - Two long skewers for the hang - Probe thermometer (185F internal is the only doneness test that counts) - Candied orange peel, candied citron, sultanas or raisins - Strong bread flour, 13 to 14 percent protein - A stand mixer that can handle a long knead. This is not a hand-knead dough.

This week's Bake-Along is panettone, and the lesson video is up. Panettone scares people. It shouldn't. It's a two-day bake, and most of that is waiting. What matters is six checkpoints, and I walk you through every one in the video. 1. Windowpane before butter 2. The first dough triples overnight 3. The final windowpane 4. Proof to one inch below the rim 5. 185°F in the center 6. Flip it within 60 seconds and hang it 12 hours Which one should you bake? If you've never made panettone, or you don't have a proven lievito madre, bake Your First Panettone. It uses a biga and a little instant yeast, and it makes a beautiful loaf. https://recipepantry.app/recipes/your-first-panettone If your madre triples in 3 to 4 hours at 82°F, go traditional. https://recipepantry.app/recipes/panettone-lievito-madre No madre yet? Start one today. It takes 3 to 4 weeks, which puts you right on time for a December bake. https://recipepantry.app/recipes/lievito-madre-conversion Timing: if you want to slice Saturday morning, mix your biga or start your refreshes Thursday morning. You'll need a 1kg paper mold, two long skewers, and a thermometer. Get those lined up now. Post your dough, your dome, and your crumb as you go. I'll take a look, or one of us will, and we'll help you sort out whatever goes sideways. Who's in? Tell me which version you're baking. Perfection is not required. Progress is. Henry ⭐🔥 𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘧𝘶𝘭, 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘣𝘦

You didn't come all this way, feeding your madre, building two doughs, and babysitting a long proof, to crush your panettone at the finish line. Pushing a skewer through that paper mold is where a lot of risen loaves get dented. Here's how I do it. 1. Put the skewers in before you bake, while the mold is sitting flat on the tray. Don't wait until the loaf is hot. 2. Lay the skewers across the top of the mold first. That shows you where they'll run, so you get two straight, parallel lines and even spacing on both sides. 3. Mark your spots about an inch above the base. 4. Don't poke your way in. Take your lahm and cut a small slit in the paper at each mark. The skewer slides right through without any pushing. 5. Ease the skewer across the dough. When you see the tip pressing against the far side, cut a slit there too and let it through. Cutting the paper is the least traumatic way in. Nothing gets squeezed and nothing deflates, and your skewers come out level. You'll be glad for that later. When these come out of the oven, they get flipped upside down and hung for twelve hours, and even skewers are what keep the loaf hanging straight. Henry ⭐🔥

I am really enjoying baking with spelt flour. I was playing with the rye and oats added to this. The chocolate it called for was for color while baking it permeated the whole house and made me crave for chocolate and smelled heavenly. I added double the chocolate it called for more flavor and color. I also doubled the seeds and added pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, black and golden sesame seeds and caraway seeds. I love nuts and added that on top of it. 🌻 🎃 This was the first time I used my Cambro and it was fun monitoring how the bulk fermentation was going. Watch the dough and not the clock. I could see all the lovely bubbles from the LM sourdough fermenting. 😍🤎💖 I roasted my seeds in a frying pan and thank-you, Daddio @Henry Hunter for teaching me to do this in a small frying pan. I actually did it right this time round as I actually saw the oil in the pan. Doing this to the nuts enhanced the flavors and it was very delicious. The rye bread is very heavy and very filling and I really enjoyed it a lot. I loved the sourness that it produced. I would definitely bake this in the future again. 🍞 🍫❤️ The LM was a challenge as I had to add a tablespoon of water to the eye ball the correct consistency. I am so in love with this delicious and wonderful healthy rye bread. 💞💖🤎 @Dave Green My rye bread and I was being creative as the recipe did not call for caraway seeds. I added some in the inclusions. 🍞 🍫🌻