Panettone, an Italian Christmas Sweet Bread a not too sweet yeast bread, filled with raisins, candied fruit or Chocolate Chips. A delicious way to celebrate the Holidays.
Panettone
Panettone, this is a much easier and quicker Italian Christmas Sweet Bread Recipe to make, everyone will love it.
Every time we head into the Fall months and Christmas is just around the corner, the Italian asks “why don’t you make a Homemade Panettone”.
Every year I think forget it, 3 days to make something that I can buy in a store? No I don’t think so. And then a friend of mine gave me this Panettone Recipe, so much easier and faster she said, you will love it.
Actually she gave it to me about five years ago, but I just started making it a couple of years ago.
And this year, i decided to share it on the blog. It is amazing! Seriously, better than store bought.
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy I shared it with a few friends and the next day one of the friends came back asking for another piece!
Panettone should be eaten in 2-3 days but this was gone in a day. Nowadays you can buy it with raisins, or candied fruit or even Chocolate Chips, and yes Chocolate Chips was my choice for this one.
More Delicious Christmas Recipes
Easy Christmas Morning Sweet Recipe
Mom’s Best Christmas Cookies and Bars
What you will need to make this Homemade Panettone
Mixer – I have a mixer that will knead bread, but my dream mixer is this one.
Mold – I use a very tall cake Pan which is about 6 inches tall but these molds are very good too.
Flour – If you want to make bread you are going to need flour!
Active Dry Yeast – I prefer this to cake yeast which is very popular here.
Panettone Italian Christmas Sweet Bread
I will definitely make it again. Probably with candied fruit and raisins, and make my husband happy and again with Chocolate Chips one more time to make the rest of us happy.
In Italy you know it is Christmas when the stores and bakeries are overflowing with Panettone, Pandoro and Torrone.
And of course every Italian has their preference whether it be a tasty Panettone filled with candied fruits or raisins or a delicious Pandora which is more cake like and dusted with powdered sugar.
I remember my first Christmas here and after our huge Christmas lunch, out would come the nuts, big slices of Pandoro and Panettone, chunks of Torrone, Chocolate and Nougat,
olives and of course my personal favourite bowls of Lupini, or Lupin Beans.
Personally I always preferred Pandora but when I discovered they also made a Panettone with Chocolate Chips I was hooked.
This is the perfect recipe to make on the weekend, you will probably need about 3-4 hours just for the rising time. If you have never made a yeast dough before, this is the most delicious thing to start with. Enjoy!
Panettone Italian Christmas Sweet Bread
Ingredients
PANETTONE
- 3 1/4 cups all purpose flour (sifted) (415 grams)
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar (75 grams)
- 2/3 cup water (lukewarm) (156 grams)
- 1/2 cup butter (room temperature/cut into small pieces) (112 grams)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dry active yeast
- 2 eggs (room temperature)
- 1 egg yolk (room temperature)
- zest of 1 orange and 1 lemon (room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup mini dark chocolate chips, raisins* or candied fruit or a mixture (180 grams)
*Plump raisins up by sitting them in boiling water for 5 minutes, then drain.
TOPPING
- 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon almond flour (30 grams)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar (78 grams)
- 1 egg white
- powdered / icing sugar for dusting
- 1/4 cup skinned whole almonds (more if desired) (35 grams)
Instructions
PANETTONE
- In the bowl of the mixer with the paddle attached, add sifted flour, in the center add yeast, sugar, butter, eggs, yolk, zest, vanilla and half the water. Mix 20 seconds, then change to the dough hook and add the other half of the water and salt.
- Mix for 15- 20 minutes, stopping after 10 minutes to scrape the hook and bowl.
- After 20 minutes add either the raisins, candied fruit or chocolate chips (or even a mixture if you wish) mix on low for a couple of minutes until combined.
- Remove to a flat lightly floured board, lightly rub hand with butter and gather the dough into a ball. Place in a large oiled bowl, cover with plastic and a dish towel. Place in a draft free, warmish spot to rise. Let rise for 2-3 hours or until tripled in size.
- Once risen, move back to a lightly floured flat surface, with hands lightly buttered and roll again into a ball, place in greased Panettone mold, cover with plastic and dish towel and let rise for an hour.
TOPPING
- In a small/medium bowl mix together almond flour, cornstarch, sugar and egg white. Set aside.
- Pre-heat oven to 365°.
- Carefully brush risen Panettone with topping (I didn't use it all) top with almonds and sprinkle with icing / powdered sugar. Bake for approximately 45-50 minutes using a toothpick for doneness. Let cool completely before cutting.** Enjoy!
- ** No need to remove from the paper mold just cut through it.** I used an 8.5 x 4.5 inch cake pan, or a 750 gram paper molds are fine too.Keeps for 3 days well covered.
Anila says
Do I have to use Almond flour or can I use normal flour?
Rosemary says
Hi Anila, you could probably use all purpose flour, although the almond flour gives it a bit of a crunchy topping. Hope that helps.
Jeanne M. Doering says
Can I make this without the paper? Where would I even begin finding it? I have a 5 1/2 inch tall ceramic bread . Would love to make this. Also, my gosh forgot about the Luigi beans. I have such memories of my Dad eating these. My Mom would make them 2x a year for him, Christmas and Easter.
Rosemary says
Hi Jeanne, they actually have the paper on Amazon, but your ceramic bread pan should would work fine I think. I hope you enjoy it let me know.
Julia says
Very pleased with the outcome, the recipe is shorter than standard Italian ones but it tasted great and was very moist. Really enjoyed making this panettone. Easy to follow, looked and smelled amazing when it came out of the oven. Definitely will try once more.
Rosemary says
Hi Julia, yes the standard one is approximately 3 days (no time for that 🙂 ). So glad you enjoyed it. Happy New Year.
Livvy says
Rosemary,
Thank you so much for this AMAZING recipe! I found your link through Pinterest, and tried this bread recipe over the weekend. It turned out so beautiful!
I recently posted my final loaf on my blog. If you’d like to see it, here is the link: belivy.blogspot.com
Thank you
Merry Christmas
Livvy
Rosemary says
Hi Livvy, your welcome and so glad you enjoyed it. Great job it looks amazing. Have a wonderful Christmas and New Year. 🙂
Janet says
Happy Holidays! Do you have this in a gluten free recipe? (almond flour, coconut flour, etc. (no rice flours)?
Rosemary says
Hi Janet, no sorry I don’t I have never made it gluten free. 🙂
Kyla says
Hi Rosemary,
Do the butter the and the water need to be cold, warm or at room temperature? Thanks!
Rosemary says
Hi Kyla sorry I didn’t write that, the butter should be room temperature and cut into small pieces, and the water tepid. Hope that helps. (sorry I edited the butter from cold to room)
Aidan says
This is such a lovely recipe! It looks a lot simpler than the classic ones I’ve seen (rise over night, then rise again! Oh no!)
I’ll be trying this out, and to break in the dough hook on the stand mixer!
Rosemary says
Hi Aidan, yes it is quite easy and all that rising just doesn’t get me excited to try it either. Let me know how it goes.
Stephanie B says
I found your site a couple of weeks ago and became hooked! I am an avid cook and baker. I have always gravitated to Italian foods. Then ended up marrying a second generation Italian. It all worked out great for us both ? LOVE your site. Funny thing is that as we were eating some Panettone the other day I said to my husband I need to find a recipe and make it myself this season… then come across this! Now I know it was meant to be lol! Thanks for sharing your authentic Italian recipes, and allowing me to pass on even more to our children and others.
Rosemary says
Hi Stephanie, oh thanks so much, you made me really happy, so glad to help. And let me know how the Panettone turns out. 🙂
Liliana Tommasini says
Hi Rosemary, Both my mother and grandmother were not bakers so there wasn’t a family panettone recipe. I remember we always the store bought panettone for Chistmas.
My family loves panettone so I have tried countless recipes to find the perfect one that I can pass down to my daughters. When I made and tasted your recipe yesterday, I knew it was the perfect recipe. It was light with a tender crumb and I just love the topping! I am going to make a few this Christmas to give as gifts. I was wondering would it be able to make two smaller panettone from the recipe?
Thanks so much for sharing your recipe.
Rosemary says
Hi Liliana so happy you like this Panettone recipe. It went so quick in our house I’m going to have to make a few more. I don’t see you can’t make two smaller ones, maybe bake them for a little less time. Maybe start checking after about 30 minutes? Hope this helps, let me know how it works out.
shl says
Thank you, Rosemary, I’m going to try this recipe this year! One question – I don’t have any kind of mixer at all. Will the recipe still yield reasonable results if I do everything by hand?
Rosemary says
Hi yes it is possible to make it by hand kneading, it will take longer but as long as you arrive at a stretchy dough you will be fine. Let me know how it goes.
shl says
Thank you for answering my question. I’ll let you know what the results are when I give it a try!
Marisa Franca @ All Our Way says
We love that sweet bread. Mamma made it for years! Panettone is such a great tradition. Your panettone looks fantastic I’m sure all of your Italian relatives were happy. Un grande abbraccio!
Rosemary says
Hi Marisa, thanks so much it was really good and yes they loved it. Have a great week.
Antonio David says
P.S. There is a typo it shouldn’t be “sweat yeast” it should be “sweet yeast”. Big difference!
Rosemary says
Hi Antonio, thanks, yes sure does make a difference!
Maggie Seah says
Hi rosemary
I would like to try making it for my family who loves panettone
Do you have the recipe in metrics like grams.
Rosemary says
Hi Maggie, if you go under Topping, you will see “US Customary – Metric” click metric and you will get the gram measurements. Hope that helps. Let me know.
Julie Amato says
Thank you for this! I’m going to be making this at Christmas for sure!
Rosemary says
Hi Julie, your welcome, let me know how you liked it. 🙂