Emmer (farro) panettone recipe
( Panettone di farro
)

Farro (emmer) panettone How-To

You'll need 24 hours to make this panettone, leavening time included. So organize yourself well!

Preparation

• - In the morning. Mix 200g (7 ounces) all-purpose flour with all your yeast.
• - Add 110 to 120ml warm water and knead accurately even in a bowl.
  It's difficult to say exactly how much water your first dough will absorb.
  It's important to have a smooth dough.
• - Let your first dough rise in a warm, covered with a cloth, for at least 2 or 3 hours or until its volume is at least doubled or tripled.
  I'm used to prepare it in the morning before going to work and knead it again in my lunch break.
• - Another important factor is the temperature. It must be at least 25° C. But the best results occur with higher temperatures. If you do not have such high temperatures at home use your oven. Turn it on for a few minutes at 50° C (120°F) and then turn it off and leave only the light turned on. It will be sufficient to recreate the right temperature.
• - Lunch break or early in the afternoon. Take back the bowl with your dough.
• - Add the remaining all-purpose flour, 100g (3 1/2 ounces) emmer flour and 80ml (2 2/3 fluid ounces - 1/3 cup) warm water.
• - Knead all these ingredients in the bowl or on a pastry board until you have a second dough, smooth and soft.
• - Add other emmer flour or water only if necessary.
• - Place your dough in the bowl, cover with a cloth and let this second dough leaven following the same tips you can read above.
  It takes about 4 hours to double or more its volume.
• - In the evening or late in the afternoon. Begin to prepare all the other ingredients.
• - Soak raisins in warm water.
• - Cut dehydrated fruit and pineapple in little pieces.
  Then dip these fruit pieces in a little flour and rub them on a pastry board with your hands so that they can't stick together. Put them aside on the pastry board. Look at the video for panettone with fresh yeast for more details. Link below.
• - Prepare the molds.
  I use a special mold: a non-stick, removable-bottom panettone mold. But if you don't find it you could use any cylindrical pan whose bottom has a diameter 18cm (7in) long and whose side is 10cm (4in) high.
  Grease the molds with the butter. Remember to bring the butter to room temperature before this step.
  Sprinkle the two molds with some all-purpose flour.
• - Melt butter on a very low heat. It must be tepid.
• - Pour honey into a little pan. Let it warm on very low heat. It must be very tepid. On the contrary when you add yolks they could cook.
  Add yolks, one at a time, beatening with a whisk.
  At the end incorporate the whole egg continue beatening with the whisk.
  You must have a homogeneous mixture.
• - Squeeze the raisins from their soaking water. Dip in flour and rub on the pastry board with your hands so that the berries can't stick together. Put apart on the pastry board near the other fruit pieces.
• - Prepare remaining emmer flour (600g - 1 1/3 pound) on the pastry board, making a very large well on the center.
  Prepare other emmer flour on hand to add if necessary.
• - Put your second dough in the well.
• - Pour in melted butter.
  Add a pinch of salt.
• - Begin to melt leavened dough in the warm butter with patience and possibly helping yourself with a little of the flour on the edge.
• - When all your leavened dough is well blended into the butter pour in the egg-and-honey mixture, little at a time, adding gradually the flour too together with raisins and fruit.
• - At the end knead your dough on the pastry board until all ingredients are well blended.
  You must obtain a soft dough on which you have to make the classical cross-cut.
  Add other emmer flour only if necessary.
• - Divide your dough between the two molds. Fill one third of every pan.
• - Now place the two pans overnight for the third rise in the same conditions I've already indicated.
  The morning after your third dough will have reached the edge of the molds.

Cooking

• - Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
• - Bake together with a little mold full of water.
• - After 20 minutes open the oven and cover the two pans with aluminum foil.
  If the surface is too golden lower the temperature to 160°C (320°F).
• - After other 20 minutes check the cooking using a long wooden skewer, which should be dry. If not ready, continue cooking.

Just before serving

• - When cooked turn off the oven and open partially its door. Don't remove the cakes from the oven immediately.
  Wait some minutes.
• - Let them cool completely before transfering them to serving plates.

Note

Tips

• - Farro (emmer) panettone is ideal for people who loves healthy eating and natural ingredients.
• - You'll have the best result for your health choosing organic ingredients.
• - Thanks to the three risings and sourdough you'll be able to discover the real taste of panettone, which is a slow-rising cake. In addition, its flavor is enriched from emmer (farro) flour, which I think is unique. Not only. Dehydrated fruit has a stronger flavor than candied one. In short, a natural cake from all points of view.
• - Do not think, however, to obtain a soft dough like traditional panettone. Who has the habit of buying emmer cakes in natural stores knows what I'm talking about. If you want a softer dough you have to lower the amount of emmer flour, replacing it with a similar amount of all-purpose flour. But the result is absolutely not comparable and I can't guarantee that you should not change the doses of the other ingredients.
• - I suggest you test this type of cake if you have children. Our children must get used to eating whole grain products, as suggested by the most important nutritionists. We adults should give up too refined foods, if we care our health .. even at Christmas ...
• - Being leavened with sourdough my emmer panettone can be kept for several days.
  Think about it! I forgot a piece in a paper bag and I found it after two weeks. Not only it wasn't moldy but it was soft enough. But frankly I hadn't the courage to eat it. What about it?

Menu planning

• - Emmer panettone is made with organic ingredients. It is perfect for those who like eating natural. So it would be served in a lunch or dinner at Christmas time, planned for people who share with you this lifestyle. But I tried to serve this cake to guests who don't regularly eat wholemeal flour and it was still appreciated.
• - Remember that: ultimately it is suggested to prepare panettone cake (Italian Christmas bread or pudding) even in summer. The presence of butter makes it can be fully appreciated in summer too!
• - Bring the whole panettone to the table and cut in front of your guests.
  I suggest you serve this cake with a dessert fork because it crumbles much more than a normal panettone and it is not advisable to eat it with hands.

Useful links for this recipe

• - Here' the link for panettone recipe with fresh yeast.
• - Interested in the directions to make at home panettone with dried sourdough?
• - I looked for a long time in Internet emmer yeast similar to that I generally use in Italy. Here you find the result of my research!
• - I link the firm whose products (emmer farro and emmer sourdough) I generally use: Antico Molino Rosso

Healthy eating

• - Every emmer panettone cake serves at least 10, more people compared with a traditional Italian panettone.
  This cake is more compact and so I usually cut thinner slices.
• - Eating natural does not, alas, subtract calories to desserts. The ingredients are selected and are not bad but we always talk about flour, honey, dried fruit, butter and eggs rich in calories.
  If you want to reduce its calories you just have to eat less!

Loretta

What's the right wine for " Emmer (farro) panettone recipe "?

Combine this strong-flavored panettone with a very intense and fragrant dessert wine. For example my husband and I particularly like the Italian wine called Grecale. A moscato, dessert wine, made from selected grapes in the island of Pantelleria. It pairs well with fresh fruit and desserts. Even with my farro (emmer) panettone!