As is my usual predicament with timing and levain, I find myself in an endless battle to slow the hell down! Why? With fermentation. Here’s a tip that’s easy to say but difficult (at least for me) to do. Avoiding wasting flour to refresh and feed your...
Pierluigi Mazzella grew up on Italy’s island of Ischia, which lies just off the coast of Naples. His father worked as a fisherman. Pierluigi followed a different craft, falling in love with baking. After several apprenticeships in Italy, Pierluigi made...
The holidays led to spending a lot of time with lievito madre, the wonderful sourdough foundation of baking panettone. Refreshed and bathed to cleanse residual acidity, it demands three-hour feeds that are cycled in-between for double mixes. It comes with the need to...
There’s an art to mixing up panettone. Ignio Massari, a master of this annual holiday bread, says he changes the structure of his panettone annually, using variations around salt, fruit and raisins. But for Ignio, the base egg quantity stays the same. In...
Panettone is a distinctly Italian masterpiece steeped in tradition and artistry. In my own efforts to achieve this level of skill, I have tried following Italian masters of those traditions. My technique has had its ups and downs. And this year's first...
