Pumpkin Panettone

Pumpkin panettone is one of my absolute favorite panettone flavors, and that’s exactly why I wanted to share this recipe here. The pumpkin gives the crumb a beautiful golden color and subtle sweetness, while vanilla and pumpkin spice make it especially perfect for fall.

Panettone is definitely a project, but for me, that’s part of what makes it so special. The process starts long before mixing the first dough. You need a very strong and healthy pasta madre, careful temperature control, and patience at every stage.

When everything goes right, you’re rewarded with an incredibly soft, buttery panettone with a delicate, shreddable crumb.

Important Note Before You Start

This is an advanced and very challenging recipe that requires experience working with highly enriched doughs. If you’re already comfortable making brioche or other enriched doughs with a high percentage of butter and egg yolks, you can absolutely give it a try.

Makes 2 panettone, approximately 520 g each

Ingredients

First Dough

• 220 g strong panettone flour
• 110 g water
• 62.5 g active pasta madre
• 60 g granulated sugar
• 45 g egg yolks
• 77.5 g unsalted butter, softened

Second Dough

• All of the first dough
• 30 g strong panettone flour
• 30 g water
• 40 g granulated sugar
• 60 g egg yolks
• 110 g unsalted butter, softened
• 3 g diastatic malt
• 4.25 g baking salt
• 60 g pumpkin purée, divided in 2 portions
• Vanilla paste, to taste
• Pumpkin spice, to taste
• 200 g inclusions I used milk and white chocolate 

Before You Start: Prepare Your Pasta Madre

This is probably the most important part of the entire process.

Before making panettone, your pasta madre should be very strong, healthy, and able to triple after a refreshment. A pasta madre that works perfectly well for regular sourdough bread may still not be strong enough for panettone.

I refresh mine at a ratio of 1:1:0.45—one part pasta madre, one part strong flour, and water equal to 45% of the flour weight.

For example:

• 50 g pasta madre
• 50 g strong flour
• 22.5 g water

Ferment the refreshed pasta madre at 28°C (82°F) until it triples.

I repeat this refreshment two or three times before starting the first dough. The goal isn’t simply to produce enough pasta madre for the recipe. These refreshments help prepare a strong, active culture capable of fermenting such a rich dough.

Don’t rush this stage. If your pasta madre isn’t reliably tripling, I would continue strengthening it before starting the panettone.

Day 1: First Dough

I usually start the first dough in the evening, around 8–9 p.m., so it can ferment slowly overnight.

For this quantity, I use my Ooni Halo Core. I find that this amount of panettone dough is perfect for its capacity, and it does a great job developing the strong gluten structure we need.

Mix the First Dough

Add the water and sugar to the mixer bowl and mix to begin dissolving the sugar.

Tear the active pasta madre into small pieces and add it to the bowl. Add the flour.

Begin mixing and continue for approximately 7–8 minutes, or until the dough becomes noticeably stronger and begins wrapping around the dough hook.

Don’t rush to add the butter. You want to establish a strong gluten structure first.

Add the Butter

Once the dough has developed good strength, begin adding the softened butter gradually.

I mix at approximately 45% speed on my Halo Core.

Add the butter in portions, allowing each addition to become incorporated before adding more. Continue kneading for approximately 4–6 minutes, until the butter is absorbed and the dough becomes smooth and strong again.

Add the Egg Yolks

Add the egg yolks in 2–3 additions, speed of Halo Core about 60%

Wait until each addition has been absorbed before adding the next.

Continue mixing until the dough is smooth, elastic, and strong and begins pulling cleanly away from the sides of the bowl.

Overnight Fermentation

Transfer the first dough to a straight-sided container and mark its starting level. This makes it much easier to see exactly how much the dough has grown.

Ferment at 22–24°C (72–75°F) overnight.

The first fermentation will usually take approximately 12–16 hours, but the clock is only a guideline.

The dough needs to triple in volume before you proceed.

I also like to check the pH. When my first dough is ready for the second mixing, I’m looking for approximately pH 5.1–5.2.

If your dough hasn’t tripled after 12 hours, don’t automatically move on. Give it the time it needs. The strength of your pasta madre and the exact fermentation temperature will determine how quickly the dough develops.

Day 2: Second Dough

Once the first dough has tripled, you’re ready to begin the second dough.

Place all of the fermented first dough into the mixer.

Add the 30 g flour, malt, sugar, water, and 30 g of the pumpkin purée.

Begin mixing on low speed.

I mix for approximately 15 minutes on speed 25-30% of Ooni Halo Core or until the dough becomes strong, smooth, and elastic again.

At first, the additional ingredients may make the dough look weaker. Keep mixing and give the gluten time to rebuild before adding the butter.

This is very important with panettone. Don’t use the next ingredient to fix a dough that isn’t ready for it. Make sure you have good gluten development before moving forward.

Add the Butter and Flavorings

Once the dough is strong, increase the speed to 45% and begin adding the softened butter in two additions.

Add the honey, vanilla, pumpkin spice, and salt.

I knead for approximately 4–5 minutes at around 45% speed on my Halo Core, allowing the butter to become fully incorporated.

The dough should become smooth and glossy again.

Add the Egg Yolks

Next, add the egg yolks in two additions.

Increase the mixer to approximately 60% speed and mix for about 5 minutes, waiting for the first addition of yolks to become incorporated before adding the second.

Panettone dough can absorb an incredible amount of fat, but only when you give it time. Don’t rush from one addition to another.

Add the Remaining Pumpkin Purée

Finally, add the remaining 30 g pumpkin purée.

I intentionally divide the pumpkin into two additions because pumpkin purée contains quite a bit of moisture. Adding it gradually gives me better control over the consistency of the dough and helps me maintain strong gluten development.

Continue mixing until the pumpkin is completely incorporated.

The finished dough should be very smooth, glossy, strong, and elastic. It should pull cleanly away from the sides of the mixer bowl rather than smearing along them.

Add the Inclusions

Add your inclusions at the very end of mixing.

Mix only long enough to distribute them evenly throughout the dough. Once they’re incorporated, stop mixing so you don’t unnecessarily damage the gluten structure.

Rest and Shape

Transfer the finished dough to your work surface and let it rest for approximately 30 minutes.

After the rest, divide the dough for your two panettone molds.

Shape each portion into a smooth, tight ball, creating good surface tension without tearing the surface of the dough.

Place the shaped dough seam-side down into the panettone molds.

Final Proof

Proof the shaped panettone at 30°C (86°F) for approximately 4–5 hours.

Again, don’t rely only on the clock.

The exact proofing time depends on the strength of your pasta madre and the dough itself. Before baking, the dough should look visibly expanded, light, and airy in the molds.

Bake

Bake the panettone at 290°F (143°C) for approximately 27 minutes.

Then increase the oven temperature to 320°F (160°C) and continue baking for approximately 20 minutes.

Every oven behaves a little differently, so use these times as a guide and watch the panettone toward the end of baking.

Cool Upside Down

As soon as the panettone comes out of the oven, insert panettone skewers through the bottom of each mold and immediately invert the loaves.

Let them cool completely upside down.

Don’t skip this step.

Freshly baked panettone has an incredibly delicate structure. Because the crumb contains so much butter, egg yolk, and sugar, it can collapse under its own weight while it’s still hot.

Hanging the panettone upside down allows that beautiful tall structure to set while the bread cools.

Tips for Successful Panettone

The most important advice I can give you is to start with a strong pasta madre. If your pasta madre doesn’t reliably triple at 28°C after a refreshment, don’t start your panettone yet. Give it another refreshment—or another day—until it’s ready.

During mixing, watch your dough more than your timer. The mixing times I provide are based on my dough, flour, and mixer. Your dough may need slightly more or less time.

Before adding butter or egg yolks, make sure the dough has developed good gluten strength. After each addition, allow the dough to regain its structure before adding the next ingredient.

And remember the three important fermentation temperatures for this recipe:

28°C (82°F) for your pasta madre refreshments.

22–24°C (72–75°F) for the overnight fermentation of the first dough.

30°C (86°F) for the final proof of the shaped panettone.

Temperature makes a huge difference when you’re working with pasta madre, so controlling it will make the process much more predictable.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know if my pasta madre is strong enough?

Before starting panettone, I want my pasta madre to reliably triple after refreshing at 1:1:0.45 and fermenting at 28°C (82°F).

If it’s only doubling or taking an unusually long time to rise, I wouldn’t start the panettone yet.

Why do I refresh the pasta madre two or three times?

Panettone is much more demanding on a starter than regular sourdough bread. The consecutive refreshments help prepare a strong, active pasta madre before introducing it to a dough containing a lot of butter, sugar, and egg yolks.

These refreshments aren’t just about producing enough starter. They’re part of preparing the pasta madre for panettone.

Why does the first dough need to triple?

The first dough needs sufficient fermentation before you begin the second dough.

If you start the second dough too early, you’re asking an under-fermented dough to handle another large addition of sugar, butter, yolks, and other ingredients.

That’s why I recommend using a straight-sided container and marking the starting level. It makes it much easier to see when the dough has actually tripled.

What if my first dough hasn’t tripled after 16 hours?

Check the temperature first.

The first dough should ferment at approximately 22–24°C (72–75°F). If it’s colder, fermentation will naturally take longer.

If the temperature is correct but your dough is still moving very slowly, your pasta madre may not have been strong enough when you started.

Don’t move on to the second dough simply because you’ve reached the suggested fermentation time. Watch the dough.

Why do you check pH?

Volume tells me how much the dough has risen, while pH gives me additional information about its acidity and fermentation.

For this recipe, I’m looking for the first dough to have tripled in volume with a pH around 5.1–5.2 before beginning the second dough.

Why is the pumpkin purée added twice?

Pumpkin purée doesn’t only contribute flavor and color—it also introduces additional moisture and fiber into the dough.

I add 30 g during the initial mixing of the second dough, develop the gluten until it’s strong again, and then add the remaining 30 g toward the end of mixing.

Adding the pumpkin gradually gives me much better control over the dough than adding all 60 g at once.

How do I know when the second dough is mixed enough?

Don’t rely only on minutes.

The finished dough should be smooth, shiny, very elastic, and strong. It should pull away from the sides of the mixer bowl and wrap around the dough hook.

Most importantly, it should pass a strong windowpane test. Stretch a small piece of dough carefully between your fingers. You should be able to create a very thin, translucent membrane before it tears.

Why isn’t my panettone proofing in 4–5 hours?

The final proofing time assumes you’re keeping the dough at approximately 30°C (86°F) and that you started with a very strong pasta madre.

If your proofing environment is cooler, the process will take longer. If you’re already at 30°C and the dough is still rising very slowly, I would look at the strength of the pasta madre and how well the first dough fermented.

Why does panettone need to cool upside down?

Panettone is extremely delicate immediately after baking. Its tall, soft crumb contains a tremendous amount of butter and egg yolks, and while it’s hot, the structure can collapse under its own weight.

Hanging the panettone upside down allows the crumb to cool and set while preserving its height and beautiful airy structure.

Panettone takes time, patience, and attention, but that’s exactly why making it feels so rewarding. And this pumpkin version is especially worth it. The beautiful golden crumb, pumpkin, vanilla, warm spices, butter, and long fermentation come together in one of my favorite panettone flavors—and one I look forward to making every fall.

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