Description
This Easy Panettone Recipe is a delightful Italian Christmas bread characterized by its soft, sweet, and buttery texture. It combines rich ingredients like candied orange peel, raisins, currants, and dried cranberries, baked within a traditional paper mold. Perfect for festive occasions, this panettone brings a festive aroma and a tender crumb reminiscent of brioche, making it a treasured holiday treat to share with family and friends.
Ingredients
Scale
Liquid and Yeast
- 8 ounces water (70ºF)
- 15 grams instant yeast
Dough Base
- 10 ounces bread flour
- 8 ounces butter (room temperature, softened)
- 4 ounces honey
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs (room temperature)
- 2 egg yolks (room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 12 ounces bread flour
Fruits and Flavorings
- 3 ounces raisins
- 2 ounces candied orange peel
- 3 ounces dried cranberries
- 2 ounces dried currants
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
Instructions
- Activate Yeast: In a mixing bowl, combine the 8 ounces of lukewarm water (70ºF) with 15 grams of instant yeast. Stir gently and allow it to sit for about 5 minutes until it becomes frothy, indicating the yeast is active.
- Mix Initial Dough: Add 10 ounces of bread flour, honey, softened butter, salt, eggs, egg yolks, and vanilla extract into the yeast mixture. Mix thoroughly to form a sticky dough.
- Incorporate Remaining Flour: Gradually add the remaining 12 ounces of bread flour into the dough, kneading continuously until the dough becomes elastic and smooth.
- Add Dried Fruits and Zest: Gently fold in the raisins, candied orange peel, dried cranberries, dried currants, and lemon zest evenly into the dough to distribute the flavors.
- First Rise: Cover the dough with a clean towel or plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place for approximately 8 hours (or overnight) until it doubles in size.
- Shape Dough: Once risen, punch down the dough to release excess air and shape it into rounds suitable for fitting into paper panettone molds.
- Second Rise: Place the shaped dough into paper molds and allow it to rise for another 2 hours or until the dough rises close to the top of the mold.
- Bake: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Bake the panettone for approximately 25 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool: Remove from the oven and let the panettone cool completely on a wire rack before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Panettone is traditionally baked for the Christmas holidays and is loved for its soft, sweet, and buttery texture similar to brioche.
- Using paper molds is key to achieving the classic tall and rounded shape of panettone.
- Letting the dough rise slowly overnight enhances the flavor and texture, allowing yeast to develop depth.
- The combination of candied orange peel, raisins, currants, and cranberries creates a wonderful burst of fruity sweetness in every bite.
- Store leftover panettone in an airtight container to keep it soft for several days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 roll
- Calories: 214 kcal
- Sugar: 10 g
- Sodium: 169 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 32 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg
