Panettone: The Ultimate Italian Christmas Bread

This Panettone, a traditional Italian Christmas cake, is meticulously crafted with rich butter, a generous medley of dried fruits, and toasted nuts. It’s renowned for being as flavorful as it is easy to master. The recipe offers excellent flexibility for customization, allowing you to tailor it to your festive fancy. Bake a couple of large, impressive loaves in repurposed coffee cans or opt for several smaller, charming loaves in paper molds, perfect for gifting or sharing.

David Leite

Melissa D.

Having experimented with various Panettone recipes and sizes over the years, I can confidently say this is one I will absolutely revisit. I inadvertently omitted the orange zest as I forgot to purchase an orange, but I did use lemon zest and a quarter cup of candied lemon rind, which proved to be a delightful substitute.

I found the dough remarkably easy to handle; as described, it wasn’t overly sticky or firm, making the kneading process uncomplicated and enjoyable. From this recipe, I produced four smaller Panettone loaves. Instead of coffee cans, I opted for 5-inch paper Panettone molds. After letting the dough rise for an hour in the molds, I brushed them with the egg whites and placed all four on a single baking sheet.

They baked perfectly in exactly 30 minutes, and the wooden skewer test confirmed their readiness. The tops were a beautiful golden brown, and the aroma filling my kitchen was simply heavenly. I allowed them to cool overnight and enjoyed a slice the following morning. The cranberry and pistachio combination is truly outstanding; the pistachios impart a lovely nuttiness that is present without being overwhelming. I particularly appreciate the subtle sweet and salty balance achieved by using salted pistachios.

I’m already planning my next batch to give as Christmas gifts. Thank you for this wonderful recipe!

Jessica Berndt

Let me begin by confessing that, through no fault of this excellent recipe, I completely overbaked my Panettone. A crucial note to future bakers: Do NOT embark on a pantry-cleaning mission while baking a delicate and delicious Italian dessert bread! Despite my mishap, even overbaked, this was still a lovely bread. The flavors were absolutely gorgeous! I have an undeniable love for cranberries and pistachios, so I eagerly seized the opportunity to bake this.

This is undeniably not a quick, “throw-together” recipe. However, with careful planning and dedicated time, it transforms into a fantastic, heartfelt gift for loved ones or a special, indulgent treat to enjoy at home. I will absolutely make this again, ensuring I monitor it significantly more closely during the baking process.

I chose to make my own candied orange and lemon peel for an added touch. The Panettone didn’t rise quite as much as I had hoped, which I attribute to my very cold house; I likely should have allowed an extra hour for proofing before placing it in the oven, but my impatience got the better of me. The description of the initial mixture as “buttery and ragged” was spot on, and the dough achieved a satiny texture after about 3 minutes of kneading. It took just over 4 hours for the dough to double in size for the first rise. I used two 6.25-inch Panettone springform pans.

The second rise in the molds took two hours and could probably have benefited from another hour. After 45 minutes in the oven, the interior was still completely raw, so I added another half-hour—which, regrettably, was far too much! I probably only needed an additional 15 to 20 minutes. As for servings, I would estimate a single large loaf yields about 16 servings.

Mary Daros

This Panettone is simply lovely! I grew up enjoying a similar homemade version but had never ventured to make it myself until now. I eagerly embraced this recipe, and I must say, its straightforward and easy-to-follow instructions make it seem almost foolproof.

The end result was a wonderfully dense, moist, and incredibly flavorful bread. We enjoyed it precisely as I always have: lightly toasted in the morning, accompanied by a smear of butter. I would, however, strongly recommend reading through the entire recipe first to ensure you allocate sufficient time (approximately 4 to 5 hours total) to complete it, as there are several crucial periods where the dough needs to sit and rise. I have a vague recollection of my grandparents waking up in the middle of the night to tend to this process, and now I completely understand why! You won’t need to go to such lengths, though, if you simply start early enough in the day!

A few personal notes: I couldn’t find candied lemon/orange rind, so I improvised by chopping and using candied papaya instead. This imparted a similar slight bitterness that is essential to balance the sweetness of the Panettone. I also had difficulty finding the exact right size cans for baking. Instead, I discovered some vintage coffee cans, short and squat, about 6 inches across, which I acquired inexpensively. I lined these with parchment paper instead of greasing them with butter, allowing the parchment to extend well above the top of the cans. This clever method helped guide the dough to rise straight upwards during baking. Using this approach, I created three equally sized loaves, which were perfectly done in 30 minutes.

I will absolutely make this recipe again!

Irene Seales

This Panettone is a delicious and delicately flavored treat—not overly sweet, with bright yet naturally colored citrus, cranberries, and nuts. It’s both beautiful to look at and makes a lovely gift, though be sure to reserve plenty for yourself! I used buttered paper Panettone forms and successfully made four loaves. The recipe was easy to assemble, though I did have a moment of concern about my mixer struggling with the stiff dough. I ended up finishing the last bit of mixing by hand and then kneading the dough, which was a pleasant reminder of how wonderful enriched doughs are to work with as they develop (and this was my first Panettone!).

The exceptional result truly justifies using high-quality ingredients. I specifically ordered fresh batches of candied lemon and orange, and ensured my dry cranberries were newly purchased. The entire recipe can be completed within a single day, with most of the time dedicated to the rising periods. The Panettone turned out so well that I am already planning my next batch and considering experimenting with different sized molds.

Remarkably, the Panettone seemed to improve even further on subsequent days when kept tightly wrapped. I sought the opinions of individuals more familiar with Panettone than myself, and they unanimously found it delicious, perhaps a little denser than the versions their families typically made, but equally delightful plain or buttered and toasted. If I bake another batch during particularly cold weather, I will endeavor to be even more patient to achieve the taller rise I had hoped for.

One instruction that initially puzzled me was to include the rum and vanilla with all the dry ingredients. Towards the end of mixing, I felt it was stressing my mixer. In hindsight, switching to a dough hook might have been better. Instead, I removed the dough from the mixer and finished the mixing by hand in a large, shallow bowl, completing the kneading on a large board. The initial rise took just over 2 hours. My kitchen tends to be a bit cool in cold weather, so my final rise after shaping and the second rise wasn’t as dramatic as anticipated, but it was still within the reasonable range called for in the recipe. After 80 minutes (again, in a cool kitchen), the loaves were well over 1 1/2 times their original size, though not quite doubled.

I used four small Panettone baking papers, approximately 5 1/4 inches in diameter and 3 1/2 inches deep. Placed on a large sheet pan, all four baked simultaneously. At 20 minutes, browning was definitely occurring, so I loosely tented them with aluminum foil for the remainder of the baking time. Given the wider aspect ratio of my molds, the total baking time seemed closer to 40 to 45 minutes.

Judith Peres

Yeast bread recipes always evoke a certain trepidation, summoning memories of past yeast failures: dense, unyielding whole-wheat sticky bun “doorstoppers” or sadly fallen challah. This Panettone recipe, however, instilled a renewed sense of hope. Overall, it was an easy recipe that yielded a lightly sweet yeast bread, ideally suited for accompanying morning coffee or afternoon tea. Or simply enjoyed with butter, at any time of day.

I chose to omit the candied citrus peels, as I’ve never been particularly fond of them. In terms of sweetness and my personal taste preferences, this proved to be a good decision. The freshly grated lemon and orange zests shone through beautifully, which pleasantly surprised me, considering they amounted to only a couple of tablespoons’ worth!

The Panettone dough process was remarkably smooth. While a paddle attachment would have facilitated a smoother incorporation of the starter, the kneading process itself was a breeze. The stated timing for kneading was accurate, and the dough took 1 1/2 hours to double in size for the first rise.

I buttered two paper molds from Sur La Table and divided my dough into two balls, which filled their molds halfway. They doubled in size within 1 hour. The loaves, which I carefully tented with foil after 30 to 35 minutes to prevent over-browning, required closer to an hour of baking time for a tester to come out clean. In hindsight, I probably should have removed them at 45 to 50 minutes, as they tend to continue cooking slightly after being removed from the oven.

The finished loaves were beautiful, and the paper molds were easy to remove. The yield per loaf was approximately 10 servings, though this can vary depending on one’s mood and appetite! The combination of pistachios and dried cranberries provided simple, lovely, and somewhat unexpected embellishments, introducing fresh flavors and textures to this very traditional holiday sweet.

I would absolutely bake this recipe again, but I’d like to create smaller Panettone for easier sharing with friends and family, as the large loaves were quite substantial!