First dough
For the first dough, add water, sugar and yeast to a bowl and mix until dissolved. Add flour and knead briefly. Form a ball, cover it with film and let it rise until it triples its size (1 hour).
Second dough
1. For the second dough. Add the first dough to the bowl of the planetary mixer or food processor along with flour, sugar, starch and vegetable milk. If you use a planetary mixer knead the dough with the flat beater for about 10 minutes. If you use a food processor knead the ingredients for about 60 seconds until you get a smooth and elastic dough (do NOT overheat the dough or you will kill the yeast, if the dough gets warm allow if to cool briefly and then keep on kneading!).
2. Once the dough is smooth and elastic, add the vegan butter and knead until incorporated. The dough is ready when it starts building strings while kneading.
3. Set the dough into a large bowl, cover it with film and allow it to rise until quadrupled in size (4 to 5 hours).
Third dough
1. For the third dough, put the dough back in the planetary mixer, add the flour, vegetable milk and sugar and knead well for a few minutes. If you use a food processor, add the ingredients and knead for 30 seconds.
2. Add the sugar, lemon zest, orange zest and vanilla and continue to mix for another 3-5 minutes. If you use a food processor add the ingredients and knead for 15 seconds.
3. Add the butter a little at a time until fully incorporated.
4. Replace the flat beater with the dough hook (if you use a kneading machine) and knead the dough until it reaches a strong gluten network (pulling a portion of the dough with your hands should not break but form a thin almost transparent veil.
5. Remove the dough from the bowl of the planetary mixer or food processor and place it on a working surface. Form a large circle, lay the candied oranges on top and fold the dough over. Knead by hand for 1-2 minutes until evenly distributed.
Final rising
Roll the dough to form a ball. Transfer it into the panettone mold lined with baking paper and cover with film. Allow the dough to rise until it has quadrupled in volume and it has reached the top of the mold. The dough is ready once about 1 cm of the top of the dough is out of the mold. This step will take between 5 and 24 hours depending on the room temperature. Brush the top of the dough with water every now and then if you see that it dries.
Glazing and baking
1. Once the dough has reached the top of the mold, start preheating the oven to 180° C (350° F).
2. For the glaze, place almonds, sugar, and aquafaba in a food processor and blend until ground (it doesn't have to be smooth). Brush the glaze on top of the panettone, and top with more almonds and a handful of pearl sugar.
3. Bake the vegan panettone for 1 hour, or until the internal temperature reaches 95° C (95° F) (measured with a kitchen thermometer). After 15 minutes cover the top of the panettone with foil to prevent it from burning.
4. Once baked allow it to cool for 2-3 hours. Serve immediately or store in a zip-close bag for up to a week.
Notes
*Strong flour (it. Manitoba flour) is a type of white flour with 15.5 g of protein per 100 g of flour. Its W value is 460. Please read the blog post to know how to make it.
**Almond or oat milk can be used too.
***Can be substituted with vegan chocolate chips
****It's important to use organic fruits for the yeast to work perfectly.