The Panforte di Siena is a Protected Geographical Indication (IGP) present in the national list approved by the Ministry of Agriculture Food and Forestry, the requirements of which are regulated by the production discipline of the Tuscany Region.

Features

The Panforte di Siena is the confectionery product obtained from the processing and subsequent cooking in the oven of a dough based on flour, candied fruit, dried fruits, mixture of sugars, honey and spices.

At the time of consumption, the product may appear in a dual version:
– white version, if the cover is made from icing sugar;
– black version, if the cover is spice-based.

Physical characteristics:
– shape: round or rectangular if marketed whole; wedges or squares when marketed at the cutting;
– size: height from 14 to 45 mm; round shape: 10 to 38 cm in diameter; for the rectangular shape: from 10 to 20 cm (minor side) and from 20 to 40 cm (greater side); variable weight depending on the size, between 33 grams and 6 kg;
– consistency: pasty, moderately resistant to cutting;
– External appearance: the surface is move and uneven;
– white version: the color is white for the veil of sugar that covers it; icing sugar can be contained in a sachet and sprinkled on the product at the time of consumption;
– Black version: the color is dark brown for covering the spice mixture.
– Maximum humidity:15% on the finished product;
– flavor: sweet, with aftertaste of candied fruit and almonds and a hint of spices, light in the white version and very intense in the black version.

Ingredients

Mandatory ingredients for the white version:

– wheat flour type ‘0’: in quantities between 14 and 18% of the dough;
– dried fruit: whole and unpeeled sweet almonds in quantities not less than 18% of the dough;
– candied fruit: candied cedar cut into cubes and candied orange peel in quantities between 35 and 45% of the dough; candied cedar must
make up at least 25% of the candied fruit used;
– sugars: a choice between sucrose, glucose syrup, inverted sugar, used individually or in mixture with each other, in quantities between
18 and 23% of the dough;
– honey: milleflower in quantities between 2 and 5% of the dough;
– spices: nutmeg and cinnamon in doses between 0.3 and 1.5%;
– other ingredients: icing sugar used for the dusting of the dessert, starch stubborns used as the basis of the product.

Mandatory ingredients for the black version:

– wheat flour type ‘0’: in quantities between 8 and 18% of the dough;
– dried fruit: whole and unpeeled sweet almonds in quantities not less than 18% of the dough;
– candied fruit: candied melon cut into cubes and candied orange peel in quantities between 35 and 45% of the dough; candied melon must make up at least 40% of the candied fruit used;
– sugars: a choice between sucrose, glucose syrup, inverted sugar, used individually or in mixture with each other, in quantities between 18 and 23% of the dough;
– spices: nutmeg, cinnamon and sweet pepper in doses between 0.6 and 5%;
– other ingredients: mixture of previous spices for the dusting of the sweet, starch stubborns used as the basis of the product.

Optional ingredients for the white version:

– dried fruit: granule hazelnuts in a percentage of no more than 1.5% of the total dough;
– candied fruit: candied melon cut into cubes as a percentage of up to 25% of the candied fruit used;
– spices: a mix of mace, pepper, pimento, confetti, cloves;
– aromas: vanilla.
Other ingredients, additives, dyes or preservatives are not allowed.

Optional ingredients for the black version:

– candied fruit: candied cedar cut into cubes as a percentage of up to 25% of the candied fruit used;
– spices: a mix of nutmeg, coriander, star anise, cloves, ginger, carnation pepper, chilli;
– aromas: vanilla;
– caramel: in quantities no more than 2% of the dough;
– nuts: in quantities no more than 5% of the dough;
– honey: in quantities no more than 5% of the dough;
– cocoa for dusting.
Other ingredients, additives, dyes or preservatives are not allowed.

Recipe

The sugars are dissolved in water and brought to cooking, mixed with the candied fruit cut into cubes, until you get a homogeneous mixture.
After the operation, the dough is transferred to the mixer where the dried fruit, flour and spices are added. It is then mixed until the ingredients are completely mixed.

The dough is taken from the mixer and portioned.
Each individual portion is weighed on scales, resting on starch’s haets and surrounded by a containment band in food paper.
The product is then flattened and placed in the cooking oven, taking care to dust with a veil of flour in advance.

The cooking of the Panforte di Siena takes place in a preheated oven at a temperature of 200-230 degrees C for a duration of time ranging from 13 to 45 minutes depending on the size of the product.
After cooking, the product is left to cool to room temperature or in a conditioning cell. The flour is then eliminated as well as the scraps of the host and the containment band. The product is then dusted with a light layer of icing sugar in the white version, or with the spice mixture in the black version. Dusting with icing sugar can also occur at the time of consumption.