How to make the best Panettone
This Italian classic is a true labor of love and patience. Rushing through the recipe is impacting the taste and consistency of a delicious loaf. Using high quality ingredients is key for perfect results. We highly recommend planning out your timeline and use a kitchen mixer. You will end up with the best homemade Panettone you probably ever had. We taste-tested our version with our Italian friends here in the US and those who tried them in Italy. ‘Best Panettone since we moved to the States!‘ and ‘The taste is very close to grandma’s Panettone.‘ – Well, let’s say – our Panettone recipe is Italian approved.
Jump to Recipe
Panettone is a special Italian Christmas Bread made over 2-3 days to develop its fluffiness and the excellent taste for which it is famous. The original classic version is a sweet-ish bread enriched with raisins, candied orange and lemon peel. It is said, that the origins lay in Milan, Italy in 1495 and is named after the sous-chef Antonio. He served this bread out of necessity because his boss burned the actual planned dessert.
How to serve and eat a Panettone
Typically the Panettone is eaten in December around Christmas and New Year and is served for breakfast, brunch or dessert. Italians like to pair a slice of their Christmas Bread with a glass of Spumante or a classic cappuccino or espresso. The best way to cut a Panettone is with a serrated (bread) knife into wedges straight through the paper mold. That way you can serve 8-12 slices of a delicious homemade sweet bread.
The overall process and instructions may be a bit intimidating, but it is actually the easiest way to make this sophisticated Italian holiday bread from scratch. TIP: You can substitute the soaked dried fruits with slivered roasted almonds and chocolate chunks. See also our recipe notes below. Go ahead and try it out. Be surprised what you can achieve!
Instructions for a Panettone made with a bread mix
Panettone – Soft & Flavorful
Equipment
- 1 Stand Mixer with Dough Hook like Kenwood, Kitchen Aid…
- 2 Baking Molds Size of 5 1/4 x 3 3/4 inch
- 2 Baking Sheets ½ Size [or 1 full size]
- 4 Stainless Steel Skewers, 12 inch long
- Oven & Pocket Thermometer [optional, but helpful]
Ingredients
Add-ons
- 75-100 g Dried Fruits, chopped – Cranberries, Raisins, Apricots [2.6-3.5 oz]
- 50 ml Water [1.7 fl.oz]
Dough
- 0.5 Bag EINBACK mix
- 120 ml Water [4 fl.oz – Pre-Dough]
- 2 TBS Cane Sugar
- 3 Eggyolks
- 110 g Butter, unsalted + softened [1 stick]
- 200 ml Water [6.8 fl.oz – Main Dough]
- 1 TBS Lemon and/or Orange Zest [or a mix of both]
Topping
- 1 Egg, small
- 0.5 TBS Milk [or Cream/Half-Half]
- Belgian Pearl Sugar [or German Hagelzucker]
- 1 TBS Butter, unsalted
Instructions
DAY 1
- PRE-DOUGH – Weigh out ½ bread mix into the mixing bowl.Take away from it 200 g / 7 oz into a smaller 2qt bowl. (Cover the bigger bowl til you need it on Day 2.)Add 120 g / 4 fl. oz water (room temperature). Mix it well, cover, let rest for 2-3 hours on the counter, then 12-16 hours in the fridge.
- Soak the fruits in water, cover it, let stand overnight.
- Take out the eggs and butter to acclimate.
DAY 2
- MAIN DOUGH – 'Mis en place' – means: prep all remaining ingredients ahead of time. That way you have them handy when you need them, including the pre-dough.
- Add the pre-dough with the water to the rest of the flour-mix and start mixing on low speed. When the dough is to 60-70%combined, add 1 eggyolk and mix further until fully incorporated.
- Now add 1/3 of the butter in pieces, 1-2 at a time. Allow to incorporate ~70% before adding more. The whole kneading takes ~6-8 min. Let rest 25 min, covered.
- Mix further on low while adding sugar and remaining eggyolks, one at the time.
- Add remaining butter in pieces as in step 3. Increase speed to medium (level 3-4). The whole kneading in step 4+5 takes ~12-15 min. It's a very soft and sticky dough, don't worry. Scrape down the side of the bowl if needed. You can add 0.5 TBS All Purpose flour when you think it is not coming together.
- Stop the machine and make a windowpane test. -> With floured fingers pull away a golf ball sized dough piece. Gently stretch out a piece of dough until it gets a very thin translucent layer without tearing. It tears too early? Knead the dough 3 more minutes and test it again. The dough will now have a temperature of ~24-26°C / 75-78°F. TiP: When it gets way warmer (>27°C / 80°F) too early in the process, stop the machine for ~10 min and go ahead.
- Spoon-wise, add the fruits (there should be no more than 1 TSP liquid left) and the zest during kneading. Wait in between until the fruit is evenly distributed. That process takes ~5 min. Take the dough out into a clean bowl (> 4 qt), cover loosley with cling foil. Leit rise for 2-3 hours on the counter until it's 2-3x the size.
- Place the baking molds on a half size baking sheet each.Lightly flour the workspace, add the dough, divide in two equal pieces. Shape each piece into a ball. -> first stretch the edges into the middle from 3-4 sides to give the dough more stability. Then turn it upside down and shape it with your inner edges of the palms into rounds. Lay the dough pieces gently into the molds, seam facing down. Cover with cling foil, let rise at room temperature until it's just under the edge (~1 hour).
- Prepare your eggwash – whisk the egg with the milk.
- Now preheat your oven to 375°F with the wire rack on the 2nd level from below. (use an oven thermometer to check!)
- When the dough is just over the edge, gently cut a cross on top, about ⅓ inch deep. Brush with eggwash, sprinkle the pearl sugar on top and place a piece of butter in the middle of each loaf.
- Turn down the oven to 350°F and bake for ~35-40 min. Rotate the loaves during the last minutes for even browning if necessary. The Panettoni are baked through when the internal temperature meassures 90°C / 194°F.
!! The IMPORTANT + CRUCIAL Part
- Have your skewers ready. Built your elevated stack, with books or pots to hang the Pannetoni upside down for cooling.This step must be taken immediately (!) when you pull them out of the oven. One at the time. Gently (!) – withoug pressing the molds with your hands – poke 2 skewers through the mold and loaf, slightly off center. TiP: hold the molds at the bottom edges to avoid deformation!Let them fully cool in this hanging position for couple of hours or overnight. This prevents the dough from sacking.
Cutting & Storing
- Traditionally, slice the loaf in small wedges through the paper mold. Use a bigger bread knife.
- Store the loaf in a freezer bag, close it loosley. Best when eaten in 3-4 days.
- For gifting – place the baked Panettone into a smaller sized gift basket cellophane bag. Close with a ribbon and add your holiday hang tag with your greetings.
Notes
Panettone Add-On Variations:
Our Favorite: Orange-Chocolate-Cranberry. Opt for only orange zest, use dark chocolate chunks and sweetened dried cranberries. (use 50% liquid by weight to soak the fruit). When the chunks are too big, just chopped them a bit with a knife. (Total add-ons max 150g / 5.2oz.) Classic Version – go for candied lemon and orange peel. When you can’t find good ones without added preservatives and flavors, make them yourself. You can find many great recipes out there in space.Our version of Italian Panettone is proudly made with our EINBACK mix:
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Limited Bundle – Panettone$24.80 -
2.5lb Artisan Bread Mix – Einback$18.90