You Better Not Cry, Better Not Pout
I remember that when I went completely gluten free 10 years ago, I thought I’d be forever relegated to eating some bland cardboard-like baked goods. So, yes, I cried. And it wasn’t too far off from the truth. Gluten free industry was just in the beginning of expansion to a wider market, so most gluten free products weren’t good, and there were just a few companies that catered to the Celiac community. Celiac disease awareness wasn’t great either at that time. Not that it’s a widespread knowledge now too. Most people still think Celiac is an allergy. It’s not! It’s an autoimmune disease. You can have wheat allergy, but it’s a totally different physiological response, even though some symptoms are similar. And non-Celiac gluten intolerance is similar to Celiac in symptoms production but differs in a way that it doesn’t produce an autoimmune response, but it does bring a similar inflammation response, so, in all honesty, it doesn’t matter then as the only relief is a total gluten free diet. Less than a breadcrumb amount can produce symptoms and damage the system, it’s like ingesting poison. So, when we ask for our food to be completely gluten free and free from any cross contamination (no gluten foods can be touching our food or be on the same plate, and all utensils have to be washed before being used for our food), please understand that it’s a health issue, not vanity or a point to torture you. Don’t roll your eyes at us either! I understand that some people avoid gluten just because they want to (respect their choice nevertheless), but the rest of us simply have to. Would you ever roll your eyes at a diabetic person asking for sugar free options? I didn’t think so!
I, for example, react to all grains, gluten free or not, so something like rice, or millet, or sorghum, or even gluten free oatmeal are a rare occurrence at my table. Thus, when I bake gluten free breads or desserts you see on the blog, know that it’s not what I eat on a regular basis. I follow a grain free diet with occasional gluten free grain indulgence. I rely heavily on nut flours and starches for baking, and generally use potatoes, regular or sweet, quinoa, amaranth or buckwheat, which are seeds and not grains, for side dishes. I’ve posted some delicious grain free recipes on the blog and will definitely do more posts like that.
Nowadays, there are a lot great gluten free options on the market, and many mainstream companies offer some gluten free options or at least indicate which are produced without gluten. Many strictly gluten free companies and restaurants are widely present too, and most eating establishments are aware of the gluten free options. We’ve gone very far in these 10 years!
In all honesty, before I discovered I was gluten intolerant, I was an average cook and a less than stellar baker. I didn’t have to be. I felt it was easier to just grab something good from a bakery and not to worry about all the work you need to put into baking delicious desserts. Going off gluten, didn’t leave me many options though. New York did have a couple of gluten free bakeries, but I wasn’t too impressed with their offerings. Yes, I cried and pouted after going gluten free, but then, I wiped my tears and snots off and rolled the sleeves up to embark on this adventure that is now my life passion. So, out of desperation and a desire to have tasty desserts again, I started experimenting in the kitchen. Who you see now is basically a self-taught amateur gluten free chef who’s striving to produce food that’s simply delicious, not just for being gluten free, delicious period. If you ever tried my baked goods (and you are generally not gluten free), I hope you still enjoyed it because it was tasty. Very few of my family and friends are gluten free (my best friend’s daughter has Celiac though; my mom and grandma have symptoms, but mom is stubborn, and grandma is too old to go on a strict diet; my kid refuses to be tested, but he doesn’t exhibit symptoms), yet everyone is looking forward to have my desserts.
Holiday season is one of the times when you may feel left out of the usual festive foods tasting because there are no gluten free options available. Don’t you cry, fret or pout! I’ve got you! Santa Claus (Diana) is coming and bringing you panettone this Christmas. Panettone is a traditional holiday dessert that’s a bit hard to find in its gluten free option. And you don’t have to because my recipe is so much better! You’ve got a sweet yeast bread here with a very soft crumb, just like it’s supposed to be, full of rum-soaked dried fruits and citrus essence. It’s basically like magic, and I have fairytale-like pictures to prove it, so make sure to scroll through the whole post to see them and get your appetite going. I encourage you to make your own panettone this year, gluten free or not!
So, I’m not pouting, but you’re definitely crying because you want my gluten free panettone!
What’s Cooking This Week
Panetonne is a yeast bread, and gluten free yeast dough behaves very differently from regular yeast dough because there’s no gluten to help with the rise and softness. You need a totally different approach, a step up even from your best gluten free techniques and flours. Gluten free yeast dough requires higher starch to grains proportions flour mixes, aka gluten free pastry flours. Therefore, do not try using your general purpose gluten free mix, it just won’t come out or won’t be that good. And you want it good, right? For this recipe, I’m using Blends by Orly Manhattan. Alternatively, you can use Butterfly gluten free flour. At the very least, try King Arthur multipurpose (without xanthan gum) flour. It’s also important to use a premium quality rapid rise yeast. I keep mine in the fridge and always test the freshness of it before I need to use it. This recipe requires many steps, just the two rises take at least 3 hours, so prepare to spend some time in the kitchen, but it’s totally worth it! I suggest buying traditional panettone baking molds. The recipe produces a high rise bread that will overflow any cake pans. This panettone can easily last several days without losing its softness and taste. Enjoy!
Gluten Free Christmas Panettone
Start with soaking dried fruits in rum for at least 2-3 hours or overnight.
Stir 1 Tbsp of sugar, from the overall listed amount, into milk, add yeast and leave it to proof for 10 minutes.
Zest 1 orange and 1 lemon.
Combine flour, salt, baking powder, lemon and orange zest and sugar (minus 1 Tbsp) together. Whisk in melted butter, vanilla and orange extracts, then eggs, beat for a couple minutes to combine. Add yeast sponge with milk and beat for a couple more minutes.
Cover dough with a warm tea towel and place a bowl into a warm place (I usually put it into a pre-warmed oven with a light on) for at least 2 hours till the dough doubles in size.
Return dough to a mixer, drain dried fruits and mix it in using a dough hook. Scrape dough into panettone mold, press to fill in all the space inside, cover loosely with an oiled plastic wrap and leave it to rise again for an hour.
Brush the top with some butter (optional) and bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 30 minutes, cover the top with foil and bake for another hour or until the inside temperature reads at 185 degrees (don’t over bake it).
Cool completely before sprinkling with powdered sugar if desired.
And don’t cut it until it’s completely cooled off.
A little slice of Christmas heaven, can be enjoyed with your morning coffee or afternoon tea.
No matter when you have it, you’ll surely crave more, so definitely save this recipe and make it often, Christmas or not. Enjoy!
Gluten Free Christmas Panettone
Ingredients
- 3 3/4 cups gluten free pastry flour I used Blends by Orly Manhattan
- 1 cup of mixed dried fruit I used apricots, cranberries, cherries, raisins, blueberries
- 1/2 cup rum
- 3 extra large eggs +1 yolk
- 1 stick of unsalted butter melted to room temperature
- 1 1/2 + 1/8 cup milk slightly warm
- 2 Tbsp rapid rise yeast
- 4 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 1/2 tsp orange extract
- zest from 1 medium orange
- zest from 1 lemon
- optional: melted butter to brush the top, powdered sugar
Instructions
- Soak dried fruits in rum for at least 2-3 hours or overnight.
- Stir 1 Tbsp of sugar, from the total amount listed, into milk, add yeast and set it aside to proof for 10 minutes.
- Combine flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, lemon and orange zest, add melted butter, vanilla and orange extracts and mix to combine, add eggs and beat to combine, add yeast and milk mixture, beat for a few minutes to combine.
- Cover with a tea towel and let it rise in a warm place for at least 2 hours.
- Return dough to a mixer and, using a dough hook, mix in drained fruits.
- Fill panettone mold with dough, pressing down to make sure there are no empty spots.
- Cover with an oiled plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place for another hour.
- Brush the top with melted butter if you want.
- Bake in a pre-heated oven to 375F degrees for 30 minutes, then cover loosely with foil and bake for another hour or until the internal temperature reads 185F degrees.
- Cool completely before dusting with powdered sugar and slicing.