So here we are in 2014! First, I am very excited to start off the new year with a recipe that I was busy trying in my kitchen. Second, inspired by a reader’s request I have added a new page on my blog to request a gluten free recipe. If you are craving a dish that you don’t know how to make it gluten free, I can help to cook up and post it for you.
Gf Panettone made in 2014
Gluten free panettone made in 2013
Around Christmas, I see Panettone being sold in every other store. I buy two or so for my family and inspite of my being gluten free, enjoy one slice and then pay with upset stomach. I never thought of baking my own because I had the impression that it was difficult to make and there are not many gluten free recipes on the web. However, when I saw Loretta’s panettone (on google+) I was very impressed and commented on how much I loved it. She gave me the link to Elizabeth’s gluten free panettone to try.
Gluten free panettone 2014
My first two attempts failed miserably. Not only were they unappealing, but they were also dry and heavy. Yet, I was not dissuaded by my failures. I love experimenting and it keeps me little challenged in the kitchen. I rolled up my sleeves and decided to make it again. I was very careful this time in following each and every step and put to use some of the tips I’ve read on different blogs, particularly Loretta’s recipe. I have to say this time I was quite satisfied with the end result. The panettone was gluten free light, sliceable, well textured with right amount of sweetness and a delicate aroma of vanilla and citrus. It can be kept at room temperature in airtight container for 3-5 days but after third day it starts to get little crumbly. The best way I find with all gluten free breads is to wrap them (sliced) in plastic wrap and place it in freezer and microwave before eating.
Before I leave you with the recipe here are some tips that would be helpful, if it’s your first time. The process is long, but is rewarding in itself. Panettone is made with high gluten (protein) flour which provides structure and stability. However gluten free flours are less robust than their wheat counterparts, so do not keep high expectations. It may not rise as well as traditional wheat panettone but definitely equals in deliciousness. I used Elizabeth’s recipe as a guide with minor changes.
QUICK TIPS
In order to get good results when baking gluten free panettone, its best to have a weighing scale, instant read thermometer and a stand mixer with paddle attachment.
- Measuring: There can be great variance in gluten free flours with inconsistent measuring. I suggest you measure all flours by weight but if you do not have a scale I have included volume and weight measurements for your convenience. To measure with a cup use ‘spoon and level’ method as described in this video.
- Pre ferment: Traditionally, panettone is made with biga, a starter of flour, water and small amount of yeast, which is fermented for about 8-12 hours. You do not need hot water to activate the yeast. A room temperature or slightly warm water with a thermometer reading of 80-100° F works well.
- Proofing: Once the biga is rested and the dough is combined the following day, the next step is proofing for the first rise. It is done at warm temperature, ideally around 74°F. Once the dough is risen to double in size, it is pressed down or folded gently with a rubber spatula to prevent over proofing. Thereafter, the dough is moved to baking and rested in a warm place for second proofing.
- Baking: The last step is to bake the bread at 350°F until the internal temperature reads between 207-211°F.
If after following all the steps you fail to get a satisfactory result, don’t lose heart, you will get there with practice. The failed bread can still be used for making french toast or (bread) pudding.
Update: November 19,2014
I have been trying since last year (2013) to get a perfect gluten free panettone, finally I got one. I have updated the photos and the changes I made to get a better crumb and texture. It doesn’t get any better than this!
A traditional Italian sweet bread with gluten free flour.
Ingredients
- 175.50 ml ( a little over 3/4 cup) water, about 80°F
- 3.5 g (1 tsp) active dry yeast
- 157 g ( 6 oz, about1 cup) white rice flour
- 4 g (1/2 tsp) xanthum gum
- 135g (1 cup) raisins
- 80 g (1/2 cup) candied peel (I used orange and lemon)
- 30 ml (2 tbsp) freshly squeezed lemon juice
- zest of 1 lemon
- 10 ml (2 tsp) vanilla extract
- 7.5 ml (1.5 tsp) lemon extract
- 248 g brown rice flour (little less than 2 cups)
- 35 g (1/3 cup) amaranth flour
- 93 g (1/2 cup +2 tbsp) sorghum flour
- 86 gm (1/2 cup) potato starch
- 12 g (1.5 tsp) xanthum gum
- 8 g (1 tsp) baking powder
- 9 g (1tsp) salt
- 15.75 g (4.5 tsp) active dry yeast
- 100g (1/2 cup) granulated sugar
- 227.30 ml (1 cup) milk (2% or whole), about 100° F
- 3 egg yolks
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tbsp canola oil
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter at room temperature
- non stick cooking spray
- 1.5 tbsp milk for brushing the top (optional)
- 215 g ( 1 1/2 cup) brown rice flour
- 45 g (1/3 cup) tapioca starch
- 55 g (1/3 cup) potato starch
Instructions
- Combine water and yeast in a small bowl. Stir. Allow mixture to stand until yeast dissolves. Whisk together white rice flour and xanthum gum in a small bowl. Add water and yeast mixture. Stir to combine. Mixture will be thick like dough. Cover with a plastic wrap and let rise overnight at a room temperature of 75°F.
- Combine raisins, candied peel, lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla and lemon extract in a small bowl. Stir. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature so that the flavors meld.
- In a small bowl stir together milk and yeast. Allow to stand for 5 minutes.
- In a bowl of stand mixer, whisk together dry ingredients.
- With the mixer on low speed, add in yeast mixture, egg yolks, eggs, canola oil, honey and the flour. Mix on medium speed with flat attachment until dough is thick about 3-4 minutes.
- Add biga. Mix for 1 minute to combine. Scrape down bottom and sides of bowl with rubber spatula.
- With mixer on medium speed, add butter one tbsp at a time. Wait for each table spoon of butter to incorporate before adding next tablespoon.
- After all the butter is added, mix dough for one minute. Dough should be thick and smooth. Reduce mixer speed to low and add dried fruits. Mix until fruits incorporate through out the dough.
- Lightly oil medium bowl (where it has room to double) with non stick cooking spray. Transfer dough to greased bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow dough to rise until double in size about 2- 2.5 hours.
- Stir dough gently with a rubber spatula.
- Generously grease a 12" bundt or tube pan with non stick cooking spray. Spoon dough into pan or panettone mould and smooth top with rubber spatula.
- Cover pan (don't cover if using the mould) with with greased plastic wrap and set aside until dough almost reaches the top of pan,about 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Brush the top of loaf with milk (if desired). Bake until the internal temperature of loaf reaches 207-211°F, about 45-50 minutes. Loaf will be golden brown. If it gets too dark before the internal temperature reaches 207, cover pan with a piece of aluminum foil and continue to bake.
- Invert loaf onto wire rack to cool completely or if you have used the mould then follow the update below.
- Remove from the oven and pierce metal skewers all the way through the panettone 4" apart and approx 1" from the bottom. Hang the panettone upside down over a large pot and cool completely before cutting.
Linked to Gluten free Fridays, Allergy Free Wednesdays.
Blackswan
I’m learning a lot with each visit to your blog like today. This is the first time I’m hearing the name “Panettone”. Congrats on your new Gluten-free page! I’m sure this will benefit a lot of your readers. Happy 2014! Not sure if you’ve seen my msg to you on G+. I’ve already sent out your goodie bag 🙂
Balvinder
Shirley, Panettone is Italian sweet bread with dried fruits in it. I am not sure about Singapore but at other places it is sold around Christmas. Yes I saw the tagged picture and now I am looking everyday in the mail for the goodies.
easyfoodsmith
Happy New Year my friend!
I have had Panetonne but never bothered trying it in my kitchen. Your panetonne looks fab.
Your gluten free recipe page sounds exciting and would be of great help to many i am sure.
Best wishes once again 🙂
Balvinder
Thank you and Happy new year to you, Taruna! You are not definitely not alone many people find the easy way to buy panettone from the store ( I was one of them) but trust me, it is such a satisfying bake that you will be pleased with the outcome. I hope the the recipe request page will help my fellow gluten free people to get started with healthy recipes. Thank you so much for your wishes.
Marcela
Hi Balvinder, I have been a reader from quite a long time, but commenting officially for the first time.
Although I adore panettone,.. I don’t think I would have attempted making this after two failures. You did an amazing job and inspired me to bake. Thank you so much for posting. Love you !!!
Balvinder
Thank you Marcela for leaving a sweet comment and I am glad my panettone recipe inspired you to bake!
Coffee and Crumpets
Great job Balvinder!! I had huge plans to make one this Christmas myself but as you know, my own knee issues slowed everything down. I’m glad to see a GF version and it looks every bit as good as the gluten one. I see you do eat a bit of gluten. What causes your discomfort? You can PM if you want!
Great to see a Request page, I may take you up on that. I’ve been GF for 3 weeks now, I feel ok, not fabulous though! I was GF for almost a year right before I moved to CO but during the move and the stress, bread products creeped back in. I’ll try again.
Balvinder
Thank you dear, I have heard people experience pain on days when temperature is low. Was your pain because of the weather? I don’t know if stress could cause arthritis pain in knees. I can only hope you get better whatever makes your pain go away. Are you allergic to gluten?
Nazneen, I don’t eat gluten on regular basis, nor do I get any craving for it. But I do cheat occasionally may be 3-4 times a year just to taste test.
Monica
Your new ‘reader request’ feature is such a great idea, Balvinder! It’s unheard of and I’m sure many people will find it incredibly useful. And I applaud your efforts to make this – gluten free panettone! Seriously – regular panettone would have been impressive enough. I’m so impressed with how you worked on the recipe and I share your excitement – it is so nice to try something new and find a challenge you actually meet in the end. Great job, and a great start to the year!
Balvinder
Thank You Monica! I am hopeful that the request page will work for people who shy away from experimenting in the kitchen because gluten free baking or cooking can get complicated when you want the food to be delicious and healthy at the same time. I am actually very happy with this panettone but I want to experiment more to get the same texture as the traditional panettone has.
Jennifer Eloff
Wow!! That looks like an amazing accomplishment. Loved your post.
Angie@Angie's Recipes
Your panettone has turned out PERFECT!
Juliana
Happy New Year Balvinder…your gluten free panettone sure looks great, I love the orange and lemon candied peels in it.
Have a great week ahead 😀
Sugar et al
Happy New Year Balvinder! Kudos to you for not giving up on the recipe despite initial disappointments. Like you, before this I did not know that there could be a gluten free version. And your idea of a request page shows how passionate you are about your blog. Great work!
Balvinder
That’s so nice of you to say this:-) there can be gluten free version to any baked or cooked product. Yes, I am very passionate about my blog.
Nava Krishnan
I am loving the panettone, actually never heard and can hardly pronounce the name. And I ain’t familiar with some of the ingredients either. Salute you for not giving up. Happy New year to you and everyone at home.
Balvinder
Shirley was also saying, she doesn’t know what it is.. probably it is not sold in Singapore and Malaysia. But you can always make your own. Happy new year! Much Love, xo
ela@GrayApron
Wow, wow. I didn’t know you could do this! Thanks for the inspiration, looks fantastic! 🙂 ela
Sridevi Ravi
Happy New Year!
I have tried Panettone around the end of last year but not very impressed by it. Your recipe looks tasty with the addition of a variety of ingredients. I am sure your request page will be of great help for many. Keep up the good job!
Balvinder
I know exactly what you mean Sri. Panettone is difficult to make and I hope you will get success next time. happy New Year! About the request page, I really hope it helps people who want to transform a traditional recipe to gluten free.
Loretta
So glad, dear Balvinder, you could make such a panettone! It is not easy to make panettone and I think it may be even more difficult to make a gluten-free panettone. But you are a fighter and were victorious after only two failures. I think I’ve tried several times before making a classic panettone that tasted good ;))
Many thanks to have mentioned me!! I think we food lovers should help ourselves every time it is necessary.
Loretta
Balvinder
I am so happy to hear that from you Loretta, I do a lot of trials in my kitchen and most recipes do not even go on the blog. I enjoyed making gluten free panettone, ..my husband and daughter loved everything about it as much as I did. They now want me to make regular wheat panettone to compare in texture so that I can make more changes to the recipe if I want to. since they know I recreate the recipes until I am 100% satisfied. I might or might not for this recipe because it tastes absolutely delicious 🙂
yummychunklet
Oh what a great gluten-free baking idea!
Robyn @ simply fresh dinners
Wow, I love your perseverance, Balvinder. I am afraid I do not have the skills or patience to bake such a delicious treat but I can send FedEx to your house! lol.
Beautiful job and lovely photography! Hope your week is going well.
Balvinder
Oh thank you Robyn! FedEx sounds like a nice plan.
Kitchen Belleicious
can;t believe you did this! It looks perfect. absolutely perfect
minnie@thelady8home
Happy New year Balvinder! And a great start to the new year too!! Love the panettone. You are so talented!
Balvinder
Thank you Minnie! A very happy new year!
anne
Bal , three times a charm , right ? Actually , the texture of your gf panettone looks like the one that I’ve seen at Serious Eats a long time ago ( I Googled it just to make sure lol ) Elizabeth’s version and yours look almost the same 😀 Good job !
Balvinder
Ah you are absolutely right! the panettone you saw on serious eats is the Elizabeth’s recipe. I believe serious eats is a resource where you can find recipes from multiple blogs and much more.
Priya
That looks really good! I will try.
Amelia
Hi Balvinder. wish you all the best in 2014 with abundance of joy and good health. Love your pannettone, very well baked. The texture look perfect, great to go with coffee.
Best regards .
Cindy (Vegetarian Mamma)
Awesome!!! This looks amazing! Thanks for linking up at our Gluten Free Fridays party! I have tweeted and pinned your entry to our Gluten Free Fridays board on Pinterest! 🙂
Hope your week is great! Can’t wait to see what you link up this week!
Cindy from vegetarianmamma.com
mrs.chiu
I am a bit confused about your latest 11/19/14 changes to the flour.
Instead of using 248g br. rice/35g amaranth/93g sorghum/86g pot. starch in the dry ingredients, you substituted 215g br. rice/45g tapioca/55g pot. starch mixture?
And you still used 157g white rice flour in the biga?
Just want to make sure I try the new improved version!
Have you by chance tried this using Better Batter GF flour because it is similar mixture??
Thanks!
Mrs.Chiu
Balvinder
Hi Mrs, Chiu,
As you can see I made some changes. I reduced the brown rice flour, used two starches and kept the amount of other flours the same. You can try any version, but I got better result with the changes I made on November 19th. You can see yourself in the pictures. No I have never bought any G Flour mix from the store because I mix my own flours for all the recipes. If you check my cake recipes you will see that sometimes I don’t use rice flour at all.
mrs.chiu
In my previous comment I referred to Better Batter GF flour.
Here are the ingredients of Better Batter GF flour: RICE FLOUR, BROWN RICE FLOUR, TAPIOCA STARCH, POTATO STARCH, POTATO FLOUR, XANTHAN GUM, PECTIN (LEMON DERIVATIVE)
Do you think this might work if I use a total of 325g in dry ingredients to add to biga? I would probably need to omit the 1.5 t. xanthan gum, since its included in Better Batter, correct?
Thanks,
Mrs.Chiu
Balvinder
I have never worked with better batter flour but if you have made breads with it then I am sure it will work fine. My total amount of brown rice flour, amaranth, sorghum, potato starch, and tapioca makes 443 g + 157 for the white rice flour for the biga. 325 g better batter flour will be too less for a large panettone. Do keep me posted what changes you make and how it goes. Happy panettone baking!
Anonymous
Hi there,
I baked gluten free panettonee today following every step of your recipe, but when I cut open, it had a sunken spot almost like a big hole. Help?
Balvinder
Hi Anonymous, I am assuming that you baked it in a paper mould. Was your panettone fully cooked? Did it sank when you were cooling? Did you measure the flour by weight or cups?Did you check the internal temperature before pulling out from the oven? The sunken area in the centre is not uncommon, but it could be any one of several different causes. Panettone is not hard, it just needs time, patience and your attention.
Sheryl
My name is Sheryl and I wrote the previous comment. I followed the recipe to a T, but didn’t check the temperature. The top part was as crisp and brown as yours after I pulled out from oven (50 minutes). I cooled it on rack for an hour or so before cutting.
Balvinder
Sheryl, checking the internal temperature is important because panettone become brown long before it is fully cooked and you should cool it upside down cool overnight or may be at least 4 hours. This prevents the panettone from sinking in the middle.
Radhika
I am wondering where do you get the paper mould? I have trouble finding it?
Balvinder
I got it from a local European bakery shop.
Greg
Hi. I love panettone. This is my first try at GF panettone. I am making 2. One with sprouted grains and the other with non sprouted. One of the secrets to past success was using s special flavoring Fiori di Sicilia Extract. It really gives it a nice citrus vanilla flavor. Thanks for you great, honest website. Informative.
Greg
Balvinder
Hi Greg,
Two GF panettones on first try? You must be an expert. ay I ask, what sprouted grain flours are you using? It feels like like you own some gluten free product company. Fiori di Sicilia Extract, Yes, I have heard. Thanks for your honest comment.
Greg
Hi. I don’t own anything but I can dream. The extract can be bought by Amazon or King Arthur. I used sorghum brown rice and oat for sprouted with regular superfine white rice flour. Interestingly although all the ratios were the same the sprouted version was much more liquidy and fell a little. My son is gluten intolerant so I am trying to soak up knowledge. Your website is great. Informative and fun. Thanks for your work. Peter Reinhart in his new book praises sprouted grains.
Greg
Balvinder
Well, I wish your dream gets fulfilled. Thank you Greg for your appreciation of my site. I am huge fan of sprouted grains. i sprout lentils for salad, eat sprouted quinoa but haven’t yet found any sprouted flour in the store where i shop. From where do you buy your sprouted flours?
Greg
HI
I bought it online from “To Your Health” I read about them for baking in Peter Reinhart’s book “Bread Revolution: World Class Baking with Sprouted and Whole Grains Heirloom Flours and Fresh Techniques”. Its very interesting and although it is not a gluten free book, it does have some GF recipes and very smart ideas. How do I post a picture. Can I drag it from my desktop into this post?
Greg
Balvinder
I just took a quick look of their site, will read about it (and the book) later.
Haha! Greg, You can’t drag a picture from your desktop and add it to my post. When I get a feedback from a reader who tries my recipe and send a picture, I thank them in my blog post. It inspires more readers to try and gives me encouragement. If you follow my recipe with sprouted flours, I can do the same or share it on G+.
Greg
I do have a question. For traditional wheat brioche I understand we add the butter slowly after kneading so the gluten does not get coated with fat which would impede gluten development. Since there is no gluten in GF breads is there a need to slowly add the butter after mixing or can we add it all at once. I added it slowly but next time I might add with the other ingredients to see if it makes a difference. I am not sure that we need to go through that extra step.
Balvinder
Greg, that’s a very intelligent question and I think you do have a point. There is no need to incorporate small amounts of butter slowly in gluten free flours. I myself made brioche buns and combined all the wet ingredients in the beginning before adding the dry ingredients. But I haven’t experimented in a panettone recipe. If you do, please let me know the result and send me a photo.
Sheryl
I am happy to report that the panettone came out great -best I have made 🙂 Thanks for the idea of holding the panettone upside down.
Balvinder
I am so glad!Congratulations!the idea of holding the panettone upside down is not mine, it has been used for many years.
Laura
Hi Balvinder,
I have been looking tonight for a GF panettone recipe to try, and your recipe – along with your meticulous measurements, notes and tips – give me great hope! I, along with my three young sons, all require a gluten-free diet, with other food sensitivities too, so Christmas time can be quite anxiety-ridden. It is particularly difficult navigating big Italian family get-togethers and some relatives struggling with our food limitations; my little boys get very upset seeing lovely food in our feasts being totally off-limits to them. Panettone is a firm family tradition and Christmas morning without it is just not the same (although I do still enjoy the other components of the family Christmas breakfast tradition; a strong coffee and cranking up John Lennon’s ‘So This is Christmas’!
Balvinder
Hi Laura,
Thank you for your kind words! You just brightened my morning:) One of my G+ friend shared this song with me. It is so beautiful filling you with love and peace for everyone and of course in Christmas spirit. I love it when he says “another year over and a new one just begun” Hope you will have enjoy this wonderful bread with your family as much as I do. Have a great day!
Cheers
balvinder
Moniie
Do you sell?
Balvinder
Sorry, I don’t.
Anna Baratta
Hello Balvinder, thank you so much for the panettone recipe, which I will try tonight, the only thing is when you say that
the biga should be covered and stay overnight at 24F you mean at room temperature of 75.2 Degree? because that’s what I’m doing and hopefully is correct. I will let you know how it came out. Best Regards and Merry Christmas
Balvinder
You got me Anna. Yes I meant 75° F. It’s hotter than what we keep our normal room temperature.I am glad that you are trying.I’ll keep my fingers crossed.
Merry Christmas!!!
Mimma Mangano
Hello Balvinder, I am so happy that I came across your website, as I was search of gf panettone recipe. I have a question can you substitute amaranth flour for something else. And also I notice that you used yeast in the biga, dry ingredients and wet ingredients is this correct. Thank you in advance
Balvinder
Hi Mimma, Substituting amaranth won’t be a problem.
I added because it is high in protein and I didn’t want a complete rice flour panettone. Yes, I used yeast in biga. Enjoy baking and do let me know how everything goes.i have a Testimonials page, where I share tried and tested recipes by my readers.
Amu
Can we make Panettone without using eggs?
Balvinder
I am sure you can but I have not tested this recipe without eggs.
Lorraine
Just tried half batch in a spring form pan….came out wonderful.
Will be making before Christmas for the family.
Thank you for the recipe!