This is the most traditional Italian bread for Christmas, with a unique flavor and texture. It's a yeast dough that's easy to work with but takes some organization; it's a holiday project. And a favorite around here to give as a gift. Leftovers make the best bread pudding and a unique French toast. This post has detailed images and instructions to guide you through every step.
Italian holiday bread
Panettone is what I eat every single year. We have strong Italian roots, and let's just say if you don't have this sweet bread at the dessert table, it's like Christmas never happened.
The texture and flavor are unique, different from others, even though it's egg and butter-based, like brioche, Pandoro or pulla. This recipe is a straight dough, as it uses dry yeast. Originally, panettone was only made with a sourdough starter, and some consider it the only way to make it. I don't necessarily agree (clearly!).
It makes one of the best gifts, wrapped in cellophane with a gold or red bow!
This tall bread is traditionally full of nuts, dried and candied fruit. But, just like fruitcake, the waters are parted: those who love it with candied fruit and those who don't. There's no middle ground.
Me? I love it with whatever, even the modern version with chocolate chips. I'm a raving fan, and once I have a Panettone in the house, I eat it fresh and then freeze it and have morning toast or French toast until it's gone.
The recipe makes several breads, and there's usually enough to keep and to give.
Ingredient Notes
- Flavoring: what defines panettone is adding orange blossom water, so don't skip it. You can also buy panettone essence.
- Yeast: use active dry yeast, which needs to be hydrated before, and that is fine because this bread has a sponge.
- Bread flour: is needed and recommended due to its higher gluten content. This dough is rich with eggs, butter and add-ins, so it needs that extra push.
- Sugar: I like light brown sugar because it adds moisture, but white sugar works just fine.
Quantities are listed in the recipe card towards the end of this post. The Ingredients page has more details and lists the brands we use.
How to Make Sure Yeast Works
- Check expiration date: Replace if expired.
- Visual check: Should be beige to light brown and granular/powdery. Avoid if grayish, clumpy, or discolored.
- Smell test: Should have a mild, slightly sweet smell. Strong or unpleasant odors indicate it's bad.
Proofing test: Mix ½ teaspoon sugar in ¼ cup warm water (comfortable to touch). Sprinkle ½ teaspoon of dry yeast on top and stir gently. Wait 5-10 minutes until you start to see some activity. Fresh yeast will foam and bubble more while instant yeast bubbles less than active dry yeast.
Golden Rule: When in doubt, buy new! It's better to be safe than to have your baked goods fall flat and be inedible. You'll have to throw it out and start again.
Steps to make Panettone
This bread is rich and dense, so a sponge and two rises are needed to create that soft but chewy texture.
It has a yeast starter, the sweet dough, and the add-ins step before it rests a final time in the panettone molds and is then baked.
The hands-on time is not a lot.
Sponge and dough
Have the ingredients measured and at the right temperature before starting.
Stand mixer: it is highly recommended. Although panettone can be made by hand, it will be somewhat messy and laborious, especially if you're not used to this bread, and you'll need some arm power and patience.
Sponge
It takes a minute to make it, and tiny bubbles will start to appear, a sign of an active yeast.
This is the first step to help strengthen the final bread dough, so it rises as it should despite all the heavy ingredients and add-ins.
Sifting
This is an extra step but is good for removing impurities and dissolving clumps that might form during storage.
Mixing the dough
The butter and egg mixture might look curdled before you add the dry ingredients.
If using a stand mixer, you'll add them while the machine is running at low speed.
Vintage Kitchen Tip
When is the dough ready? Knowing how much flour a dough needs is one of the most critical parts of bread making and something that gets easier with practice. But a good parameter is when the dough starts to create 'strands' that irregularly leave the sides of the bowl but not completely.
Don't be tempted to add flour until a ball forms because that is too much and the bread will be tough. Before the first rise, the dough should be somewhat sticky; the texture will improve a lot after it's proofed.
First rise
Make sure the bowl is large enough to accommodate double the volume of dough as it expands.
It should not increase more than double, so keep an eye on it after 1 ½ hours, depending on how warm the environment is.
Make a rectangle
A rough rectangle. It's a way to remove the gas formed during the first rise and make space for the nuts and raisins.
Dough add-ins
Traditional ones vary but include nuts, candied fruit and dried fruit.
I omit the candid ones and use a mix of pistachios, almonds, walnuts, cashews and raisins. I encourage you to make your own blend, respecting the final quantity given in the recipe.
Scatter
They will almost cover the rectangle, and that is fine. You could use less, up to ¾ of the given amount.
Roll and cut
Roll like cinnamon rolls, but start from the short side to make it easier. Then cut it into several pieces.
Light kneading
Take each piece and knead a few times. This will mix in the nuts and raisins.
Gather the dough
Pile one piece on top of the other and gather into a large mass again.
Now you have to decide how many breads you'll make and what sizes.
Proofing the dough
It's the process where the dough is allowed to rest and double in size one last time before baking after it's fully kneaded.
Important: Place the panettone molds on a baking tray or pan so it's easier to manage them. Cover them with a clean kitchen towel (or towels, depending on how many you use) and let them rise in a mild-temperature room with no drafts.
Panettone paper molds or wrappers
It's the traditional way of baking this Italian bread. They come with a waxed coating, but I spray or butter them anyway.
The dough pieces should not fill more than half of their capacity.
They come in different sizes as this bread is usually sold by weight. I use large (2 pounds of dough), medium (1 pound) and small (about ½ pound).
Final rise
Let it double in size: depending on how strong the yeast you use is and the room's temperature, it can take between 1 ½ to 2 hours to double.
Panettone dough is dense and heavy, so give it time and make sure the place is warm and draft-free. I usually place them in the oven (turned off!).
Glaze
Powdered sugar glaze: it's the simplest one and perfect to use as glue for the nuts sprinkled on top. Plus, it seals moisture. I use milk or lemon juice to add some acidity.
Clear gel: this is more professional and what many bakeries use. I'm not a huge fan as it's not easily available, and some brands are low quality, in my opinion.
Topping: press a handful of nuts and raisins before the glaze sets.
Kitchen notes
- Organization: read the recipe first and ensure you have ingredients at the correct temperature, utensils and equipment needed, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier.
- Baking time: consider that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as possible, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer (like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend tracking how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.
- Yeast: any type can be used. Be careful when using the instant or one of those fast-rising ones, as they usually leaven faster than the time frames in this recipe.
- Flavorings: it's not Panettone unless you use orange blossom water or extract. In some countries, it's known as panettone essence. Don't skip it.
- Flour: all-purpose works very well, but you can also use half bread flour and half cake flour. They both do their own thing, so the bread will have texture and softness.
- Gifting: we wrap it in large cellophane bags with a gold or red bow. It keeps it moist and is great for transporting it.
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Panettone Recipe (Italian holiday bread)
Ingredients
Sponge:
- 1 ½ tablespoons active-dry yeast
- 1 ½ tablespoons sugar
- ½ cup bread flour
- ½ cup milk, lukewarm, not hot
Panettone dough:
- 4 ½ to 5 cups bread flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 5 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon malt extract
- 1 teaspoon orange blossom water, or panettone essence. Orange blossom water can be bought online.
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups nuts, I use equal amounts of almonds, walnuts, pistachios and cashews
- ½ cup seedless raisins
Glaze and topping:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ tablespoon water
- 1 cup nuts and raisins, to decorate on top of the frosting.
Instructions
Sponge:
- Mix 1 ½ tablespoons active-dry yeast, 1 ½ tablespoons sugar, ½ cup bread flour and ½ cup milk in a small bowl, cover with a clean kitchen towel and leave for about 15 minutes. It will bubble and puff.
Panettone dough:
- Sift 4 ½ to 5 cups bread flour and ¼ teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Add ¾ cup brown sugar and stir to mix.
- Add 5 eggs and 1 cup unsalted butter, softened, in the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Add 1 teaspoon malt extract, 1 teaspoon orange blossom water and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Mix everything. It will not be smooth and that's fine.
- Add the sponge and start mixing with the dough hook on medium speed.
- Add the sifted dry ingredients, 1 cup at a time. If after kneading for about 5-7 minutes the dough does not come together, add extra flour in tablespoons. The dough is soft and supple and should not be too firm or stiff, and, if you touch it with your knuckles, it does not stick.
- Transfer the dough to a clean bowl, cover with film or a clean kitchen towel and let rise until doubled, from 2 to 3 hours. At this point, you can cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator overnight and continue tomorrow.
- Gently punch down the dough with your fist to release gas and transfer the dough to the clean counter. Stretch it with your hands or roll with a rolling pin until you have a rough rectangle.
- Place 3 cups nuts and ½ cup seedless raisins on top, covering the dough. Roll as if making cinnamon rolls, forming a tube or cylinder.
- Slice it in 6 or 7 pieces with a large ktichen knife. Give each piece a few kneads and stack them in an irregular pile. This is to ensure that the nuts and raisins are distributed throughout the dough. They will fall from the bread and will seem like too many. It's how it should be.
- Knead, joining a little more. The fruits escape; add them back to the dough.
- Use baking spray or barely brush the paper panettone with oil. Remember that each size is made for a certain amount of dough, so choose them accordingly. I like to weigh 1-pound pieces of dough; it's the best size in my opinion.
- Divide the dough according to the molds and put the portions inside, pressing just so to level a little. Don't fill them more than ½ of their capacity.
- Cover and let rise for 1 ½ to 2 hours more. They have to increase the volume and the dough should feel less dense.
- Turn on the oven at 350°F (180°C).
- Cut a cross in the center of the sweet bread (I use scissors). It will not be very defined as the dough is a little wobbly. But it'll allow the steam to escape.
- Bake the 1 pound (½ kilo) bread for about 40 minutes or until a cake tester (or use skewers as it's deep) in the middle comes out clean.
- Let cool completely on a wire rack.
Glaze:
- Mix 1 cup powdered sugar with 1 tablespoon lemon juice and ½ tablespoon water until smooth with a consistency like thick honey.
- Drizzle over cooled breads and sprinkle 1 cup nuts and raisins on top. Let dry before cutting.
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