Panettone - Proofing without a Proofer
Hi there! Too early for a Christmas baking post?
I own and run a small artisan bakery in the UK. Since around March (but not during the hotter summer months) I’ve been practising making real panettone, and am hoping to be able to includes it as a product this Christmas. Not saying it’s anywhere near where I want it to be, but I’m getting better at it.
I currently have an Everlasting retarder/proofer which I use for pastries. We shave them in the morning/afternoon, then let them sit in the Everlasting on cold overnight and they start to heat up a few hours before baking. Because the panettone first dough will have to proof overnight, I cannot use my main and only proofer (prover?) for panettone. I have been thinking about buying another under oven proofer, but don’t really want to spend lots on a piece of equipment which I’ll only use for panettone (a low ROI and something I’m not quite consistent at making).
Does anyone have any suggestion on how to proof the bulked first dough overnight in a cold bakery (3-10c at its coldest)? I’ve been thinking about using a rack cover and a pot of boiling water, but don’t think this would be enough for the whole 12 hour long proof?
Any help is greatly appreciated!
Matt
A terrarium heater in an insulated picnic cooler should be a cheap way to keep a reasonably steady temperature.
I do not know your budget, Matt, but a rack cover with a small space mini heater (there are very affordable ones on amazon) with fan and a couple of indoor thermometers to track temperature inside that enclosed space would do it. Keep the bowl of water there as well, to maintain the necessary level of humidity.
Thanks both for your help! I think I’ll go for a rack cover, water, and some heating element. Not sure a space heater is safe enough to leave on overnight at the bakery, but maybe a couple of heating mats would do it!
Perhaps just use a Sous vide machine as the heater given you were already planning on using water anyway. You can program temperature and time and they are designed to run for hours + will give you a log of temperature for your QA.
Helpful hint. You may need a lid/or partial lid to the container to control evaporation if your design temp is getting above 60C...and certainly if you are running the bath at temps approaching 80C. I don't think that is what you need for proofing but just thought a heads up as most don't think of that aspect. Yes, most machines have a low water shut off for safety...but that doesn't help you if you lose proofing temp.
P.S. Added bonus... a controlled temp water bath is particularly useful beyond just sous vide.
Try proofing 12 hours at 18C (cooler than many recipes and produces a very good crumb). If not tripled, go another 2 hours at 24C. These lower temperatures should be easier to achieve without a proofer, and are what a number of good bakers are doing.
Size of batch will determine what kind of container to use.