9:00 PM: In a small small dish, mix the 30g of acacia honey, scraped vanilla pod seeds, fresh orange zest, and lemon zest together. Seal tightly and leave it to soak in the refrigerator overnight to infuse.

In a large bowl, fully dissolve your preferment yeast (5g fresh or 1.5g dry) into 185g of water. Add all 375g of strong flour.

Knead firmly with your hands just until a tight ball forms. Critical Guardrail: The dough must remain rough and lumpy—do not knead it smooth or try to develop gluten yet. Poke a deep, cross-shaped cut across the top of the ball, wrap the bowl securely in plastic wrap, and let it ferment for 12 to 14 hours at a stable room temperature of 72–74°F (22–23°C).

9:00 AM – First Dough: Verify that your biga has grown significantly larger and looks airy. Transfer the biga to your stand mixer and attach the paddle attachment. Add the 80g of egg yolks and mix on low speed for 2 to 5 minutes. Increase the speed to medium (never exceed setting 4 on a KitchenAid mixer) and knead for 3 to 5 minutes until the yolks are fully absorbed and the dough wraps tightly around the paddle.

Add the 100g of sugar and continue kneading on medium for 5 to 7 minutes until the matrix wraps the paddle cleanly.

Drop in the 90g of soft butter. Keep mixing on medium for 5 to 7 minutes until the fat incorporates completely, the walls of the bowl look spotless, and the dough becomes incredibly strong and non-sticky. Temperature Monitor: Keep the dough under 80°F (27°C). If it runs warm from the friction, pack ice bags around the base of the bowl.

Transfer the dough to a clean container, cover, and let it ferment at a warm 82–86°F (28–30°C) for 3 to 4 hours until it grows exactly 3 times its original volume.

Once tripled, place the covered container straight into the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes while you scale the remaining components.

1:30 PM – Second Dough: Fully dissolve your 1g of fresh yeast (or 0.3g dry yeast) into 10g of water.

In your mixer bowl, combine all of your chilled First Dough with the 30g of strong panettone flour. Mix on low speed for 3 to 4 minutes.

Add 40g of sugar and knead on low for 3 to 4 minutes until the surface looks sleek and shiny.

Pour in the 20g of egg yolks, increase to medium speed, and mix for 2 to 3 minutes until fully incorporated.

Add 25g of your overnight aromatic mixture and 6g of salt. Knead for 2 to 3 minutes until the dough tightens up and wraps back around the paddle attachment.

Add the 40g of soft butter and knead for 3 to 5 minutes until incorporated (the dough will remain slightly sticky at this point). Finally, pour in your yeast-water mixture and knead for a couple more minutes until fully absorbed, the bowl is clear, and the dough looks incredibly strong.

Stop the mixer, dump in all 300g of your inclusions (candied orange peel, raisins, and chocolate chips), and run on low speed for exactly 1 minute to distribute them evenly.

Shaping & Pre-Poking: Turn the dough onto a well-buttered work surface. Use a bench scraper to split it into 2 equal pieces (roughly 600g each). Round each piece into a loose ball and let them rest uncovered on your counter for 20 minutes.

Take your paper molds and push 2 wooden skewers straight through the base of each mold, positioned closely to the bottom edges.

Shape each dough piece into a tight, smooth round boule by pulling and tucking the outer skin firmly underneath itself. Place each ball inside a pre-skewered paper mold. Arrange the molds on a baking tray, cover loosely, and let proof at a warm 82–86°F (28–30°C) for 3 to 4 hours until the highest crown of the dough rises to exactly 2 cm below the top rim of the mold.

5:00 PM: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Whisk the 20g of almond flour, 40g of sugar, and 10–12g of egg whites together in a small bowl until a uniform paste forms. Transfer to a piping bag.

Pipe a thin layer of the amaretto glaze evenly across the top surfaces of both proofed panettones.

Slide the tray into the oven and bake for 33 to 35 minutes. To ensure a perfect bake, insert a kitchen thermometer into the center of the loaf—the internal temperature must reach 197°F (92°C) with no wet batter on the probe.

Remove the hot loaves from the oven. Immediately turn them completely upside down, using the pre-poked wooden skewers to hang them suspended across a large stockpot or inside a deep box. Let them hang upside down undisturbed for 10 to 12 hours to completely stabilize the fragile, cloud-like crumb matrix before slicing.