Easy Italian Panettone Recipe - Holiday Recipes | Posh in Progress (2024)

FAQs

What is the best flour to use for panettone? ›

Answer. The Ciabatta flour is the best for the Panettone. I have used it for this process and found it to be satisfactory for the long fermentation needed, although it must be said I have never achieved the taste and texture that still lingers in my mouth of the Loison product I have tried to emulate.

Panettone is famous for its tangy flavor and yellow, soft and gooey dough that is unlike no other. The secret behind it is an Italian yeast called lievito madre, or mother yeast. But it's not an easy yeast to work with: you need time and patience to master it.

Panettone Recipe. For panettone's tall structure you do need at least a medium protein flour with 10% protein. This is called baker's flour or bread and pizza flour and can be found at the supermarket and at specialty stores.

Traditionally, panettone is served after the enormous Christmas day feast, however, very few have any room left for dessert, so we also eat our panettone in the mornings with a milky, frothy cappuccino. We also love it as our “Merenda” , a sweet snack in the afternoon with an espresso.

Artisanal panettone will have higher amounts of yolks and butter without emulsifiers or preservatives. They will contain real vanilla beans and not the cheaper vanillin. The fruit will be high quality candied citrus (not only orange, but often also pricier citron) and not industrial candied citrus with sulfur dioxide.

Fiori di Sicilia essence. I bought this from King Arthur Flour as well, and it's an essence of citrus and vanilla {a little different than an extract}. This definitely gives your panettone the traditional flavor.

The dimensions should be around 13,5 cm / 5.3 inch diameter and a height of 9.5 cm / 3.7 inch. Panetonne needs to cool upside down after baking, because the delicate and fluffy bread would collapse if you leave it standing up after baking.

While no sourdough baking processes can be considered “simple”, panettone is definitely takes complications to the extreme, with an unusual levain maintenance method (“pasta madre”, or mother dough), two dough builds (the “primo” and “secondo impastos”), and the necessity for exacting temperature and pH control ...

By law an authentic panettone must contain 20 percent of its weight in fruit and 16 percent in butter. The origin of panettone is unknown, but many agree that the cake was first made in Milan as early as the 15th century, perhaps in the kitchens of the Milanese duke Ludovico Sforza.

Panettone can be eaten in a variety of ways. It's commonly sliced and enjoyed as is, but it can also be toasted, buttered, used in desserts like bread pudding, or even paired with savoury dishes.

How long does homemade panettone last? ›

To store leftover panettone, wrap it tightly using plastic wrap and then place it in a resealable bag or wrap it in foil. Homemade panettone will stay fresh at room temperature if stored correctly for up to 7 days. If you wish to freeze your homemade panettone, you can either freeze it in slices or as a loaf.

After slicing, store the remaining inside of the cellophane bag that it was originally wrapped in. This bag is specific for keeping the shelf-life of the panettone long, even after it is cut. If left whole and stored properly, the panettone will stay fresh and moist for about 4 weeks.

Panettone tends to be a little more expensive than most other baked goods, mainly due to the amount of time that goes into making each one. A traditional panettone is usually a lengthy procedure, however, a cheap mass-produced alternative will take shortcuts in the baking process which will be reflected in its taste.

In Italy, historical accounts of panettone invariably state that it originated in Milan. The word panettone derives from panetto, a small loaf of bread. The augmentative suffix -one changes the meaning to 'large bread'.

Arguably the best type of Italian flour is 00 flour, which is a refined flour that can be used for various purposes. Depending on how it is milled, 00 flour can be specifically used as pizza flour, pasta flour, or pastry flour.

Type 0. This is the Italian equivalent to our cake flour. It's a very fine, low-protein blend that creates tender baked goods like cakes and pastries, where chewiness is not the goal!

If you've made my favorite white bread recipe, you may remember that I opt for all-purpose flour because it produces a super light and fluffy bread. In contrast, we want to use bread flour for this Italian bread due to its higher protein content, which will create a bread that is chewier in texture and a bit denser.

Taste: Good panettone will be rich and buttery, with a great golden colour to match. Texture: When you buy a good panettone, you'll notice that it tears in large strips – almost like a mozzarella. Cheap panettone will have a more bread-like structure.