Patience and time are two essential traits necessary when you want to make the perfect vegan panettone.
There’s no rushing perfection; you must be ready to focus on each step.
Christmas has always featured the delicious panettone since the Middle Ages.
Italy is home to this amazing delicacy that all would enjoy during the festivities.
Traditional panettone features butter and eggs, making it unsuitable for vegans.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t prepare a vegan panettone for your family this coming Christmas.
Here are two amazing recipes to help you share in this delicious treat.
Nothing stops you from making the vegan panettone a part of your holiday traditions.
How to Make the Best Vegan Panettone
This is the best time to reflect on the best vegan panettone to make this coming holiday.
A fluffy panettone can be a delight when the family gathers for an amazing time.
Plus, it’s healthier and a better option than anything you can pick up from the store.
Having a good starter is key when you want to make a delicious vegan panettone.
The sourdough starter is popular, but you can always experiment with something more stable.
An instant yeast with a history of consistency and stability is a good example.
It takes time and effort to make the perfect panettone.
This is important for any person who wants to make their first vegan panettone to learn.
The dough is the main issue when preparing a vegan panettone.
It requires patience and time to develop, so there won’t be any haste to get it done.
In fact, there are no shortcuts when preparing a vegan panettone during the holidays.
It takes even longer if you choose to make it the traditional way.
But, the results are well worth the effort and time it takes to produce the perfect vegan panettone.
The panettone is a great treat for vegans during the holidays.
But, when making a vegan panettone, it makes sense to exclude the eggs.
Another ingredient that requires a substitute is butter which is always present in traditional panettone recipes.
The good news is numerous plant-based healthy ingredients can replace eggs and butter.
1. Recipe 1: Vegan Panettone
Ingredients for a Vegan Panettone
1.5kg Mold
- 500g Strong Bread Flour
- A teaspoon of Instant Yeast
- 250g Soy Milk
- Half a teaspoon of Turmeric
- 150g Candied Fruits
- 160g Caster Sugar
- Half a teaspoon Orange Extract
- 2 ½ Lemon Zest
- 160g Raisins
- Half a tablespoon of Vanilla Extract
- 60g Corn Starch
- 160g Vegan salted butter
Starter Mold
- 35g Strong Bread Flour
- 25g Luke Warm Water
- 7g Caster Sugar
- 5g Instant Yeast
Second Dough
- First Dough
- 160g Strong Bread Flour
- 160g Soy Milk
- 60g Corn Starch
- 60g Softened Vegan Salted Butter
- 25g sugar
Third Dough
- Second Dough
- 280g Strong Bread Flour
- 60g Soy Milk
- Half a tablespoon of Vanilla Extract
- 140g Sugar
- Half a tablespoon of Turmeric
- 35g Liquid Glucose
- 2 ½ Lemons Zest
- 60g Softened Vegan Salted Butter
- Half a teaspoon Orange Extract
Add
- 160g Raisins
- One tablespoon of Vegan Salted Butter
- 150g Candies Fruit Peels
How It’s Made
- Begin with the starter. Mix bread flour, instant yeast, and sugar into a mixing bowl. Pour lukewarm water into the dry mix and use a spatula to work all the starter ingredients. Make the mixture into a ball and cover the bowl to give it room to rise until it triples in size.
- Make the second dough by taking the starter and placing it into a clean bowl. Measure and add bread flour, soy milk, and starch and work the mix thoroughly.
- Mix in the vegan salted butter. If you use unsalted butter, you can add a pinch of salt to the mix. Ensure the butter is softened, making it easier to add to the dough and work it in.
- Switch on the oven light as you prepare to proof the mix at 25 to 28°C. Cover the bowl and place it in the oven giving the yeast time to work. This can take up to 5 hours, and the right temperature is crucial for the best results.
- Add water to a pot and place it over medium heat to boil. Once the water boils, turn off the heat and add the raisins. Soak raisins in hot water for half an hour to soften.
- Check when the raisins are soft and ready to drain from the hot water. Place the soft raisins on a flat surface and pat dry. Use a kitchen towel to remove all excess moisture, which can interfere with the vegan panettone.
- Open the oven and check the dough size. It should have quadrupled in size and be ready for the next step. Take the bowl out of the oven and place it on a mixer. Add the bread flour and soy milk to make the final dough for the vegan panettone.
- Mix in all other ingredients, including glucose, sugar, vanilla extract, turmeric, orange extract, and lemon zest. Keep mixing all the ingredients for 5 minutes to get the best consistency.
- Also, add in the softened vegan butter. Do a little at a time, ensuring it gets mixed in well. Afterward, remove the dough from the mixing bowl and place it on a flat surface.
- Stretch the dough out using your fingers to form a large triangle. Add in the soft raisins and candied fruit peels. Fold the dough as this ensures all of them are evenly spread. Then, you can roll the dough into a ball and transfer it into a 1.5kg panettone mold. Leave the dough to rise, which will quadruple in size in the oven with the bulb lit.
- Remove the panettone and give the oven time to preheat to 180°C. Place the panettone back into the preheated oven and watch the crust turn brown in less than 15 minutes.
- Fetch the panettone, cut a cross on top, place some extra salted vegan butter and bake it for 1 hour. After that, give it not less than 3 hours to cool down, then seal it in a food bag. The panettone will be ready in 3 weeks.
2. Recipe 2: Vegan Panettone
Ingredients for Vegan Panettone
For 1.5kg Mold
- 450g Strong Bread Flour
- 240g Soy Milk
- 1 ½ tablespoons Vanilla Extract
- 60g Corn Starch
- 190g Sugar
- 20g Brewer’s Yeast
- 120g Candied Oranges
- 120g Vegan Butter
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 ½ tablespoons Vanilla Powder
- 2 lemons’ zest
For Almond Glaze
- 50g Aquafaba
- 30g Almonds
- 60g Sugar
First Dough
- 40g Luke Warm Water
- 60g Strong Bread Flour
- 1 tablespoon Sugar
- 20g Brewer’s Yeast
Second Dough
- 1st Dough
- 170g Strong Bread Flour
- 40g Sugar
- 170g Soy Milk
- 60g Corn Starch
- 60g Softened Vegan Butter
Third Dough
- 2nd Dough
- 200g Strong Bread Flour
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 175g Sugar
- 60g Softened Vegan Butter
- 2 lemons’ Zest
- 120g Candies Oranges
- 1 tablespoon Vanilla Powder
- 60g Soy Milk
How It’s Made
- Make the First Dough. Mix the lukewarm water, brewer’s yeast, and sugar in a mixing bowl. Mix until all the ingredients dissolve in the water. After that, add the strong bread flour and start kneading the mixture. Make a round ball and cover the bowl containing the first dough for 60 minutes, which gives it time to triple in size.
- Make the Second Dough. Open the bowl with the larger first dough and pour the mix into a mixing bowl. This next step will require a mixer for the best consistency. Add strong bread flour, starch, sugar, and soy milk to the mixer.
- Wait for the mixture to be smooth with an elastic consistency. Then you add in the softened vegan butter. Check for when the dough starts becoming stringy, which is a sign it’s ready.
- Pour the dough into a large bowl and cover it for up to 5 hours. This gives it time to quadruple in size.
- Make the Third Dough. After 5 hours, pour the dough back into the mixer and add more strong bread flour. Also, add in sugar and soy milk. Knead the mix for 3 minutes, then add vanilla, sugar, orange, and lemon zest.
- Add the softened vegan butter. Ensure to add a little until the butter is fully incorporated into the mix.
- Remove the dough from the mixing bowl and roll it into a ball. Flatten the mix into a large circle and add the candied oranges. Fold the dough over them for 2 minutes to ensure even distribution of the candied oranges.
- Make the Fourth Dough. Line a panettone mold with a baking sheet and foil. Add the vegan panettone dough into the lined mold and leave it to rise. Once the mold quadruples in size, it’s ready for baking.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- Place the aquafaba, almonds, and sugar in a food processor. Blend the mix and brush it on top of the vegan panettone dough.
- Pop the vegan panettone dough in the oven for 1 hour. Make sure the internal temperature reaches 95°C before removing it. Ensure you cover the top of the vegan panettone with foil after 15 minutes in the oven. This prevents the top part from burning.
- Leave the vegan panettone to cool for 2 to 3 hours. Serve it or store it in a zip lock bag to enjoy later.
Conclusion
Christmas is the best time to prepare some delicious vegan panettone for the family to enjoy. The recipe is long, and the process requires patience. But the results are well worth the extra effort. Plus. It’s great that panettone can be vegan.