Very much akin to the traditional Italian Christmas bread, this gluten free and keto panettone is buttery, pillowy and with beautiful orange notes throughout! Oh, and if baking with cups rather than grams is your thing, just click on US Cups for an instant conversion. Though for best results we (highly!!) suggest you weight your ingredients here.
See recipe video of the cinnamon rolls for guidance on the methodology (similar yeast doughs, different ratios). And check out the post for deets, tips and possible subs! Note: if using a stand mixer, feel free to use the paddle attachment for easiest mixing.
For the gluten free & keto panettone
Add yeast and a dash of ginger to a large bowl, set aside. Mix inulin (or maple syrup), water and sour cream in a small bowl. Heat up over a water bath to 105-110°F. And if you don't have a thermometer it should only feel lightly warm to touch.
Pour lightly warm sour cream mixture over yeast, cover bowl with a kitchen towel and allow to rest for 7 minutes. The mixture should be bubbly, if it isn't start again (too cold water won't activate the yeast and too hot will kill it).
Mix your flours while the yeast is proofing. Add almond flour, flaxseed meal, whey protein powder, sweetener, xanthan gum, baking powder, and salt to a medium bowl and whisk until thoroughly mixed. Set aside.
Once your yeast is proofed, add in the eggs, vinegar and orange zest. Mix with an electric mixer for a a minute or so until fully mixed. Add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the softened butter. Keep on mixing until you can no longer see any streaks of butter. The dough will become very sticky, so you want to work quickly to get it mixed properly. Use a wet spatula to gather the dough into a ball.
Spoon the dough onto the mini panettone molds, filling them up roughly 2/3rds. Place on a baking tray, cover with a kitchen towel and place in a warm draft-free space for 2-3 hours until the dough has almost doubled in size (it should reach the top of the mold). How long it takes depends on your altitude, temperature and humidity, but just keep in mind that because this is an enriched dough it'll take its time to rise (just be patient!). And note that if you don't see it rising, it likely needs a little more warmth (say the top of your oven!).
Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C while the dough is proofing. Lightly brush with egg wash, being careful to avoid the edges so they're able to rise when baked. Bake for 10 minutes at 400°F/200°C, reduce temperature to 375°F/190°C and bake for further 10 minutes and reduce temperature to 350°F/180°C and bake for 5-7 minutes. Panettone should be a (very!) deep brown when done, but feel free to tent with foil to prevent over browning (around minute 10-12).
Allow to cool on the tray for 20 minutes and transfer to a rack to cool completely. Keep in mind that they continue to cook while cooling, so you really don't want to cut before! Keep stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-5 days. Serve at room temperature or lightly warm.
Notes
*You can feed the yeast with either inulin or an actual sugar (thanks for the inulin tip guys!). And do remember that the yeast will feed on such sugar to emit carbon dioxide, so it doesn’t affect the carb count. And yes, this is a scientific fact.**If paleo (or in keto maintenance), feel free to sub 1/4-1/2 cup of almond flour with arrowroot flour for a lighter crumb. ***If no panettone molds are on hand don't sweat it! You can simply cut up some squares of parchment paper and push them down onto a muffin tray, getting them roughly 2 1/2" tall. Feeling fancy? Tie them up with a ribbon to serve!(Important note!) I recently made the connection (while at the dentist!) that xylitol inhibits yeast and bacteria growth (which is why it's the sweetener of choice for dental products). So don't use xylitol!Please note that nutrition facts were estimated per mini panettone (4g net carbs!).