What is Panettone?
Pronounced “pan-ah-toh-nay,” it’s a festive Italian bread traditionally baked in a tall cylindrical mold. It is a sweet yeasted bread studded with dried fruits. And it is often served during the holiday season. Panettone requires a bit of time and patience, but the efforts are well worth it. Skip the store-bought stuff. Nothing beats fresh, homemade bread. This panettone recipe uses a sponge. A sponge is a pre-ferment mixture that helps to kick-start the dough fermentation process. Bread doughs develop flavor through kneading and proofing times. Some panettone dough recipes require hours and hours of proofing time. The sponge in this recipe helps to shorten the proof time, while still adding flavor and depth to the dough.
What fruits and nuts can you add to panettone dough?
Traditionally, panettone contains candied orange peel, candied lemon peel, raisins, and golden raisins. Over the years, many other varieties have become popular including those with chocolate, other dried fruits, and chopped nuts. Candied orange peel and candied lemon peel can be difficult to find and they quite pricey! They’re also often way too sweet. This recipe uses finely grated orange peel and lemon peel to add bright citrus flavor. Along with raisins, this recipe includes chopped dried apricots and dried cranberries. Candied ginger, dried currents, dried apples, or dried cherries would be excellent additions.
Why is the panettone dough sticky? Should I add more flour?
This panettone recipe produces a very rich and elastic dough. It requires laborious mixing and kneading before it becomes smooth and pliable. Do not be tempted to add more four to the mixing bowl. The dough may look and feel sticky at first. However, after extensive kneading (about 8 minutes or so in a stand mixer), the flour will absorb some moisture, allowing you to easily remove the dough from the bowl. Use a greased bowl scraper (or greased sturdy spatula) to help transferring the dough easier. I also suggest greasing your hands, as well.
What kind of mold is needed to bake panettone?
If you cannot find these paper pans, the panettone dough can also be baked in muffin tins to make much smaller versions. However, I highly suggest finding the paper panettone mold for this recipe.
How to prevent baked panettone bread from collapsing?
To ensure the baked panettone bread loaf remains tall and fluffy, cool the panettone upside down. Immediately after baking, stick two sturdy wooden skewers (or better yet, metal skewers) into the bottom of the panettone mold. I used a tiered cooling rack to hang the bread upside-down. This step isn’t required, but it does help the bread retain its shape.
How to serve panettone?
Panettone can be enjoyed for breakfast with a pat of salted butter and cup of coffee or tea. It is often traditionally served mid-afternoon or as an after dinner treat with a glass of sweet wine like Moscato d’Asti. The bread can be enjoyed at room temperature or toasted warm. Stale or leftover panettone can have new life as French toast or transformed into a tasty bread pudding.
For more holiday recipes, you might like to try these Holiday Biscotti or these Cranberry Bliss Bars. This Persimmon Cranberry Pie or No-Bake Double Layer Pumpkin Pie are also delicious options!
