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Sweeten up the holidays with Union Special’s labor-intensive and oh-so-delicious panettone.
Everything that comes out of Union Special’s kitchen is a labor of love. But nothing gets more passion—and painstaking time—poured into it than panettone.
“A real mountain climb for bakers,” emphasizes Union Special owner/baker Andrew Ullom, the naturally leavened bread—a holiday tradition in Italy known for its light cake texture—“is very specific and pretty difficult.” … But, oh, so worth it.
Like most of us, the Union Special team experimented with baking during the pandemic—and making panettone posed just the challenge they needed. Fast-forward to today, and it’s become a seasonal bakery tradition—and a Raleigh fave.
Intense, but fun, the baking process begins with Lievito Madre, a specific—and needy (think only gloved hands and sanitized mixers)—starter that must be fed every four to five hours, and kept at exactly 82 degrees, says Ullom. So, just the kind of thing you have time to master in a pandemic…
From there, there’s two stages of dough, the first of which ferments overnight for four to six hours in the walk-in cooler, while the second rises in molds for another four to five hours. In essence, time is about as valuable as the starter (!).
Last year the Union Special team cranked out 300 panettones, and this season Ullom hopes to get to 350. And if those sell out, they’ll make more.
For the final touch, the dough is lathered in an egg white-sunflower seed-sugar glaze before going into the oven. Then, the finished panettones are so fragile they must hang upside down overnight to cool, says Ullom. So, it’s like if Batman were bread.
Naturally, the process comes with trial and error—think contaminated starters and broken doughs. “It’s not necessarily a tradition we love, but we’re very likely going to ruin the first mix every year,” Ullom admits. Nevertheless, the results always pay off.
“The last two Christmas seasons we’ve been pretty successful with it,” says Ullom. This year, Union Special will offer two sizes—500 grams and 1 kilo—in standard chocolate chip (loaded with dark, semi and white chocolate chips), and chocolate, cherry and orange flavors.
So if you’re looking for a dessert to enjoy after (or before—no judgment!) your holiday dinner, or just something to nosh on with your coffee or tea in the morning, meet your new fave seasonal sweet fix. unionspecialbread.com
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