Panettone | Leite’s Culinaria Leave a comment

This panettone, a traditional Italian Christmas bread, is made with plenty of butter, dried fruits, and nuts and is as flavorful as it is foolproof. It can also be customized given your fancy. Bake a couple of loaves in coffee cans or paper molds.

Adapted from Suzanne Dunaway | Baking from the Heart | Broadway Books, 2004

There are conflicting stories about the origins of the word “panettone.” My favorite is the legend that it comes from the Milanese phrase “pan del ton,” which in English literally translates to “cake of luxury.” This makes a lot of sense when you take a look at the ingredients of this traditional Italian Christmas cake given that the dough is egg enriched and ample butter and gilded with toasted pistachios, dried fruit, citrus zest, a splash of rum…yep, luxury.

And if you love this panettone recipe, try your hand at this German Christmas bread. You won’t be disappointed.–David Leite

Why our testers loved this

Our testers loved that this recipe is “straightforward and easy to follow” and are describing the finished panettone bread as “moist and very flavorful.”

They highly recommend giving it as a lovely gift or a special treat to have during the holidays.

Notes on ingredients

• Raw nuts–Use your favorite nuts here, such as almonds or pistachios. Our testers especially liked using pistachios.
• Candied citrus–This is optional, and you can leave it out if you’re not a fan. There’ll still be plenty of citrus flavor from the lemon and orange zest. If you do include it, you can purchase it from supermarkets, order it online, or make your own candied citrus peel.
• Dried fruit–Use your favorite dried fruit here, or something that pairs well with the nuts you are using. Cranberry and pistachio work well together, as do apricot and almond.

How to make this recipe

1. Make the starter. Stir together the milk, yeast, flour, and sugar. Cover and let rest at room temperature until slightly bubbly.
2. Toast the nuts. Heat the oven to 350°F. Place the nuts on a baking sheet, spray with water, and sprinkle with a little salt. Toast until lightly golden, then let them cool before coarsely chopping them.
3. Combine the flour, citrus zest, candied citrus, fruits, nuts, rum, and vanilla. In a mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy, then add the eggs and egg yolks. Reduce the mixer speed to low, then beat in the flour mixture, followed by the starter.
4. Knead the dough until smooth. Place it in an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled.
5. Divide the dough into 2 or 4 pieces, depending on the size of panettone you’re making, and let rest for 10 minutes. Butter your panettone molds and place the dough into each mold.
6. Brush the top of each panettone with beaten egg white. Cover and let rise until almost doubled.
7. Heat the oven to 400°F.
8. Place the panettone in the oven and reduce the heat to 350°F. Bake until a skewer inserted into the center of each loaf comes out clean.
9. Cool the bread in their molds for 15 minutes. Unmold and cool completely on a wire rack.

Recipe FAQs

Helpful tips

• Panettone will keep, tightly wrapped in plastic, for up to 1 week at room temperature, or can be frozen for up to 6 months.
• Before baking, make sure you don’t have any dried fruit sticking out of the dough, as they may burn during baking. If you do, gently push them into the dough.
• If your panettone is browning too quickly while baking, cover it loosely with aluminum foil.

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