Panforte Nero, Amazing Candy with Rich Chocolate Flavor that Makes a Great Gift.

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Recipe of Panforte Nero
List of Ingredients
Instruction
Temperature of Sugar Syrup for Panforte Nero
Diameter of Panforte Nero

Panforte Nero. Gingerbread, rich chocolate candy, Christmas sweet – any of these names is appropriate. Panforte Nero burst into my life unexpectedly and definitely forever, which is surprising for not the biggest chocolate lover.

Panforte Nero, the dark, spiced version of Siena’s historic “strong bread,” evolved from medieval honeyed cakes (pan mielato) made with costly spices by apothecaries, becoming a durable snack for Crusaders and a luxury for nobility, its name changing from Panpepato to Panforte (“strong bread”) as its intense spice and fruit flavors developed, with “nero” (black) designating the addition of cocoa powder for deeper color and flavor contrast to the honey base. 

panforte nero

For my taste, candied orange can be skipped (and as a rule I do it), otherwise it’s a wonderful recipe, which is doubly wonderful in that panforte could be prepared in advance and stored just in a cupboard. Take the panforte out of the cupboard at the right time, sprinkle cocoa – and you can go make coffee. Necessarily coffee, Panforte Nero is not about tea or supposably glögg.

The bad thing is that for cooking panforte it would be nice to have an immersion culinary thermometer. Please reed about it below in details and explanations.

Panforte Nero

for 3 panfortes with diameter of 16 cm and height of 2 cm

Ingredients

140 g dark chocolate 70% cocoa or more, break into small pieces
320 g brown sugar
250 ml (375 g) honey
2 tsp water

440 g nuts (almond, pecan, pine and pistachios. or what you prefer)
230 g candied orange
360 g all purpose flour
50 g cocoa + 2 tbsp for sprinkling

1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp black pepper
zest of one lemon

Method

  1. Pour nuts on a baking sheet and place in a slightly heated oven (no higher than 140 °C) for 30 minutes. Remove the nuts and cool them to room temperature.
  2. Cut the zest of citrus into small cubes. Grind all spices in a pounder.
  3. Combine flour, cocoa and spices, zest, then add nuts and candied fruits.
  4. Preheat the oven to 150 °C.
  5. In a heavy saucepan, mix sugar, honey and water. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Once the sugar has dissolved, let the mixture boil for another 1 minute. If you have a sugar thermometer, bring the temperature of the syrup to 116 °C. Remove the syrup saucepan from the heat. Pour chocolate into syrup. Stir the syrup until the chocolate melts and the syrup becomes homogeneous.
  6. Pour the syrup onto the flour and spices. Mix flour and syrup with a spoon or spatula to make a cool dough. If you cannot mix with a spoon, put the dough on the table and knead with your hands until smooth.
  7. Line the baking sheet with baking paper, grease the baking rings with vegetable oil. Put the dough in a baking rings, flatten. Bake for 30 minutes.
  8. Cool the gingerbread by placing the mold on the wire rack. Remove the paper in which it was baked.
  9. Sprinkle gingerbread with 1 tblsp unsweetened cocoa, wrap in a sheet of baking paper and in foil. Put ahead in a cupboard for a week.
  10. Cut into very thin slices for serving.
pieces of panforte nero
a piece of panforte nero
panforte nero

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Temperature of Sugar Syrup when Making Panforte Nero

When preparing sugar syrup, it’s always important to maintain the correct temperature, and making panforte is no exception. That’s why I highly recommend getting a needle thermometer. It will help you monitor your temperature and get exactly the results I’m describing.

If the syrup is overheated, the panforte will be too hard. If the syrup is underheated, the panforte will be too soft and won’t keep well.

Diameter of Panforte Nero

I like when Panforte Nero isn’t too large. In my opinion 16 cm panforte is optimal both for a family teatime and for a gift. But obviously this is not a dogma.

If you prefer to get bigger Panforte Nero, follow this way: divide all ingredients from the recipe by two for two panforte’s disks with diameter 20 cm each.

panforte nero
Print Recipe

Panforte Nero

Course: Dessert
Servings: 12

Ingredients

  • 140 g dark chocolate 70% cocoa or more, break into small pieces
  • 320 g brown sugar
  • 250 ml honey
  • 2 tsp water
  • 440 g nuts almond, pecan, pine and pistachios. or what you prefer
  • 230 g candied orange
  • 360 g all purpose flour
  • 50 g cocoa + 2 tbsp for sprinkling
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • zest of one lemon

Instructions

  • Pour nuts on a baking sheet and place in a slightly heated oven (no higher than 140 °C) for 30 minutes. Remove the nuts and cool them to room temperature.
  • Cut the zest of citrus into small cubes. Grind all spices in a pounder.
  • Combine flour, cocoa and spices, zest, then add nuts and candied fruits.
  • Preheat the oven to 150 °C.
  • In a heavy saucepan, mix sugar, honey and water. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Once the sugar has dissolved, let the mixture boil for another 1 minute. If you have a sugar thermometer, bring the temperature of the syrup to 116 °C. Remove the syrup saucepan from the heat. Pour chocolate into syrup. Stir the syrup until the chocolate melts and the syrup becomes homogeneous.
  • Pour the syrup onto the flour and spices. Mix flour and syrup with a spoon or spatula to make a cool dough. If you cannot mix with a spoon, put the dough on the table and knead with your hands until smooth.
  • Line the baking sheet with baking paper, grease the baking rings with vegetable oil. Put the dough in a baking rings, flatten. Bake for 30 minutes.
  • Cool the gingerbread by placing the mold on the wire rack. Remove the paper in which it was baked.
  • Sprinkle gingerbread with 1 tblsp unsweetened cocoa, wrap in a sheet of baking paper and in foil. Put ahead in a cupboard for a week.
  • Cut into very thin slices for serving.

Celebrating the chocolate:

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