Family traditions are important to me, especially those that celebrate my Italian heritage. Each holiday, I try to find an Italian recipe I can incorporate into my own little family’s traditions. This year, I tried my hand at a panettone bread recipe. My grandparents are from Italy and my dad speaks nostalgically about my grandmother’s cooking. Unfortunately, my grandfather died before I was born and I was very young when my grandmother died. I have faint memories of her, but missed out on the opportunity to learn her cooking and baking secrets–and very few of her recipes survived her. Prior to this holiday, I had never heard of panettone bread. My Italian friend told me about it because she picked up a loaf to bring to a Christmas party. I asked my dad if my grandma made panettone when he was a kid, and he told me no. Despite the fact that he hadn’t enjoyed this bread as a child, I still wanted to give it a try. I searched and searched for a good recipe. I settled on this recipebut adapted it to suit our taste preferences. We chose to use orange zest instead of lemon because I read oranges are more traditional. I also thought oranges would taste better with the cherries and apricots. If you’re intimidated by the thought of making bread from scratch, don’t be! This panettone recipe was actually super easy to make and turned out so well. The bread is super moist and the addition of the honey butter on the top of the loaf created just the perfect touch of sweetness.
Are you looking for other Italian recipes? Check out my Italian Easter Cookies and Italian Wedding Cookies.
Yield: 12 servings
Easy Italian Panettone Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
- 1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup driedcherries
- 1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped
- 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted (optional)
- 1 tablespoon honey (optional)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine yeast, water, and sugar. Cover and let stand 10 minutes, or until foamy.
- Add eggs, yogurt, vanilla, orange zest, and salt and mix well.
- Stir in flour 1/2 cup at a time until dough forms into a manageable ball.
- Place dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 to 10 minutes, adding flour as necessary, until dough is soft and pliable, but not sticky. (You may need up to 5 cups of flour.)
- Place dough in a large, lightly pan-sprayed bowl and cover. Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and spray an 8-inch round cake pan with non-stick spray.
- In a small bowl, toss dried fruit with confectioners' sugar. Punch down dough in the bowl, transfer to a floured surface, and knead in the fruit.
- Form dough into a ball, place in the prepared cake pan, cover loosely with a dish towel, and let rise for 30 minutes. (Loaf may rise above the pan sides.)
- Brush with melted butter, if desired. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the loaf is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Once done, brush the top of the loaf with an equal mixture of melted butter and honey.
Nutrition Information
Yield
12Serving Size
1
Amount Per ServingCalories 248Total Fat 3gSaturated Fat 2gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 1gCholesterol 36mgSodium 82mgCarbohydrates 48gFiber 2gSugar 14gProtein 6g
Traditional Italian Panettone Recipe
Ingredients
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup driedcherries
1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped
1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted (optional)
1 tablespoon honey (optional)
Directions
In a medium bowl, combine yeast, water, and sugar. Cover and let stand 10 minutes, or until foamy. Add eggs, yogurt, vanilla, orange zest, and salt and mix well. Stir in flour 1/2 cup at a time until dough forms into a manageable ball. Place dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 to 10 minutes, adding flour as necessary, until dough is soft and pliable, but not sticky. (You may need up to 5 cups of flour.) Place dough in a large, lightly pan-sprayed bowl and cover. Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and spray an 8-inch round cake pan with non-stick spray. In a small bowl, toss dried fruit with confectioners’ sugar. Punch down dough in the bowl, transfer to a floured surface, and knead in the fruit.
Form dough into a ball, place in the prepared cake pan, cover loosely with a dish towel, and let rise for 30 minutes. (Loaf may rise above the pan sides.) Brush with melted butter, if desired. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the loaf is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Once done, brush the top of the loaf with an equal mixture of melted butter and honey.
FAQs
Panettone is famous for its tangy flavor and yellow, soft and gooey dough that is unlike no other. The secret behind it is an Italian yeast called lievito madre, or mother yeast. But it's not an easy yeast to work with: you need time and patience to master it.
What is the best Italian flour for panettone? ›
00 Pizza flour has a very fine granule and high gluten percentage. This helps speed up gluten formation. If you can't find pizza flour, that's fine, just bread flour only. Alternatively you can buy vital wheat gluten and mix with your bread flour and make your own high-gluten flour.
How do Italians eat panettone at Christmas? ›
Panettone can be served just as it is, but many people find it a bit dry. It's common to serve it with a sweet wine and an accompaniment of something rich and creamy, perhaps based on mascarpone (with egg yolks, as used in tiramisu), plus dried or candied fruits.
Why do you turn panettone upside down? ›
The dimensions should be around 13,5 cm / 5.3 inch diameter and a height of 9.5 cm / 3.7 inch. Panetonne needs to cool upside down after baking, because the delicate and fluffy bread would collapse if you leave it standing up after baking.
What kind of flour do you use for panettone? ›
Panettone Recipe. For panettone's tall structure you do need at least a medium protein flour with 10% protein. This is called baker's flour or bread and pizza flour and can be found at the supermarket and at specialty stores.
What is the difference between cheap and expensive panettone? ›
Artisanal panettone will have higher amounts of yolks and butter without emulsifiers or preservatives. They will contain real vanilla beans and not the cheaper vanillin. The fruit will be high quality candied citrus (not only orange, but often also pricier citron) and not industrial candied citrus with sulfur dioxide.
What is the most expensive panettone? ›
The most expensive panettone in the world, since the world has existed, is produced by a pastry shop in Carmagnola, a small municipality. It is worth 700 thousand euros as it is completely covered with gold and diamonds. Her destiny was not to end up in a jewelry store (perhaps Tiffany's), but at an Indian table.
Why are panettone so expensive? ›
Panettone is made using high-quality ingredients, including butter, eggs, candied fruits, and sometimes premium ingredients like chocolate or dried fruits which can be costly.
What does panettone mean in Italian? ›
In Italy, historical accounts of panettone invariably state that it originated in Milan. The word panettone derives from panetto, a small loaf of bread. The augmentative suffix -one changes the meaning to "large bread".
What time of day do Italians eat panettone? ›
Traditionally, panettone is served after the enormous Christmas day feast, however, very few have any room left for dessert, so we also eat our panettone in the mornings with a milky, frothy cappuccino. We also love it as our “Merenda” , a sweet snack in the afternoon with an espresso.
Panettone can be eaten in a variety of ways. It's commonly sliced and enjoyed as is, but it can also be toasted, buttered, used in desserts like bread pudding, or even paired with savoury dishes.
How to know if panettone is bad? ›
A good panettone must come out of the cup and form a completely rounded dome – if it is flat it means that there was a cooking or leavening problem.
What is the lifespan of panettone? ›
How long will panettone keep? Panettone keeps far longer than other breads or cakes. For a classic panettone the shelf life might well be 4-6 months. However, panettone with flavoured creams are usually shorter, perhaps 2-3 months.
What is an interesting fact about panettone? ›
Panettone is Hung Upside Down After Baking
Once traditional panettone is finished baking, it is flipped upside down until it's completely cool. This eye-catching technique prevents the bread from falling in on itself and keeps the soft and fluffy texture.
What makes panettone last so long? ›
High sugar content: Panettone bread contains a high amount of sugar, which acts as a natural preservative. Sugar helps to inhibit the growth of bacteria and mold, extending the shelf life of the bread [1].
Why does panettone taste weird? ›
It has a texture akin to sandwich bread, in that when you compress it between your fingers it can be molded into Play-Doh-esque forms. It's porous and slightly sour, a flavor it derives from the intense fermenting process it undergoes before it hits the oven.
Why does panettone keep so well? ›
Originally Answered: Why do some panettone have a long shelf life? Panettone's rich composition, with butter and eggs, prevents or minimizes the 'retrogradation' of flour starch, which is the main reason why in a short time other baked yeast-leavened products, like for example bread, become stale.
