Panettone Bread Recipe (2024)

Published: by Dina

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

This buttery panettone bread recipe is loaded with fragrant citrus zest, dried cranberries, and golden raisins. The warm fluffy texture will blow your mind!

Panettone Bread Recipe (1)

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here. This recipe was originally posted on Mar 27, 2015, we’ve tweaked it a bit since then.

Panettone

This panettone bread recipe is also known as Italian Christmas bread. It’s a sweet fluffy bread similar in texture to brioche bread but made with eggs, dried fruit, and butter. It’s a very easy bread to make, just requires a little bit of patience. But don’t all good things? 🙂

Panettone ingredients

Panettone Bread Recipe (2)

How to make panettone

  • Start off by combining the yeast with warm milk. Let it sit in a warm place until it becomes frothy. Then add a little bit of sugar and flour. Now mix it and let it sit in a warm place for 30 minutes. This will be the yeast starter.
  • In the bowl of your stand mixer combine the eggs, sugar, vanilla, salt, and orange zest. Now add in the yeast starter, craisins, and golden raisins. At this point lightly mix it with a spatula.
  • Now toss in the rest of the flour and melted butter and combine all the panettone bread ingredients using the hook attachment.
  • Next, grease a large bowl with oil and place the sticky panettone bread dough inside. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise for about one hour.
  • Now line a springform pan with parchment paper and place the panettone dough inside. You could also use a panettone liner for this to help the Italian Christmas bread hold its shape.
  • Let it rise for another hour. Then brush it with melted butter and bake the Italian Christmas bread at 340 degrees Fahrenheit for 40 minutes.

Panettone Bread Recipe (3)

What is Panettone?

  • Panettone is a sweet Italian bread that is made with lots of butter and dried fruit. It is often served around Christmas time. Therefore its also called Italian Christmas bread.

How to serve Panettone bread

  • Panettone is often served for breakfast or as a sweet treat with tea or coffee. You can eat it by itself or slather on some softened butter and add a drizzle of honey on top.

How long does panettone keep

  • Like many other homemade breads, panettone can stay fresh for up to 2-3 days in a plastic bag.

Panettone Bread Recipe (4)

Do you love Italian desserts? You might enjoy these Italian sweets.

  • Mini almond biscotti
  • Tiramisu Cake
  • No-bake chocolate salami

Full Recipe Instructions

Panettone Bread Recipe (5)

Panettone

This sweet panettone is the best Italian Christmas bread you have ever tried!

No ratings yet

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: 10

Calories: 389kcal

Author: Dina

Ingredients

  • Ingredients for yeast starter:
  • 3/4 cup warm milk
  • 3 tsp dry active yeast
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • Ingredients for rest of bread:
  • 3 eggs + 1 egg yolk
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp lemon zest
  • 1 tsp orange zest
  • 1 cup golden raisins
  • 1 cup craisins dried cranberries
  • 3 1/4 cup flour
  • 5 tbsp unsalted butter melted

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Pour the milk into a bowl and warm it in the microwave so it reaches 110 degrees Fahrenheit. Add 3 tsp of yeast to the warm milk and let it sit for a few minutes or until most of the yeast is soaked.

  • Lightly stir the milk with a whisk and add 1/4 cup of sugar. Then add 3/4 cup sifted flour.

  • Stir the mixture until well combined and let it sit in a warm place for about 20-30 minutes to let it rise. I put it in 110 degree oven.

  • In the bowl of an electric mixer, add the eggs and egg yolk, 1/2 cup sugar, vanilla, salt, and the zested orange and lemon. Lightly mix with a spatula and add the risen yeast starter.

  • Add the craisins and golden raisins and stir just to combine.

  • Then add in 3 1/4 cup sifted flour and melted butter and mix it using the hook attachment.

  • Scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and make it into a ball. (The dough will be very sticky). You don't need to kneed it for a long time, just enough to form it into a ball.

  • Grease a large bowl with olive oil and place the dough into it. Drizzle a little more olive oil over the top of the dough, cover it with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place for 1 hour.

  • Line the bottom of a spring form pan with parchment paper. Then line the sides with a folded piece of parchment paper to support the bread while it rises in the oven. The parchment paper should go about 4 inches above the top rim of the spring form pan.

  • Place the dough into the spring form pan, make a cross slit at the top and brush it with a little bit of melted butter. Let it rise for 1 more hour in a warm place. Then put it into a 340 degree oven for 40 minutes.

Nutrition

Calories: 389kcal | Carbohydrates: 76g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 17mg | Sodium: 178mg | Potassium: 202mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 32g | Vitamin A: 205IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 2.7mg

Did you make this recipe? Snap a photo of it and tag me on Instagram @simplyhomecooked or use the hashtag #simplyhomecooked so I can see it and feature it!

  • Author
  • Recent Posts

Follow me

Dina

Hi, I’m Dina, so glad you stopped by! I believe life is too short for bad coffee and boring meals. With my easy to follow step-by-step recipes, you’ll be surprised at how quickly a wholesome and delicious meal can come together. I hope you find something you enjoy!

Follow me

Latest posts by Dina (see all)

  • Bread Dipping Oil with Fresh Herbs - April 3, 2024
  • Baked Ranch Chicken - April 1, 2024
  • Potato Pierogi Recipe (Perogies) VIDEO - March 30, 2024

Reader Interactions

Comments

    Leave questions and feedback here

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. Lilyn says

    Hi Dina
    Do u have this recipe in grams?🌷

    Reply

    • Dina says

      Hi Lilyn, if you click the metric button on the recipe card, it should convert the recipe to grams. I hope that helps! 🙂

      Reply

  2. Olga says

    What size springform pan do you use?

    Reply

    • simplyhomecooked says

      Hi Olga, I use a 9 in springform pan for this Panettone bread. Hope you love this recipe! 🙂

      Reply

  3. Luda says

    Thank you for your receipe the bread come so good evrybody like a lot
    But in future how long I need to mix dough with hook
    It’s so easy to make ????????

    Reply

    • simplyhomecooked says

      Luda I’m so glad your family loves this recipe. Mix the dough for about 10 minutes, or until the dough is well mixed and elastic.

      Reply

Panettone Bread Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the best flour to use for panettone? ›

It seems that your Italian 00 or Canadian flour suits this best. For Panettone, it will undergo a lengthy, 2 day fermentation process with a sourdough starter. 1st fermentation will take around 13 to 14 hours, whereby more flour and eggs, etc..... will be added and it will undergo a further 10 hour fermentation.

What is the secret of panettone? ›

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.

Why is my panettone dough not rising? ›

Make sure to proof the dough in an insulated environment, like an oven (as directed). This will keep the dough away from cold and draft, which may stall the yeast from working its magic.

Why is my panettone dough so sticky? ›

Your dough can become sticky when you add too much water or the flour isn't suitable for the type of dough you are making. Over proofing or fermenting the dough can also result in the gluten structure weakening causing sticky dough.

What makes panettone so expensive? ›

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.

What is 00 flour in USA? ›

Most “00” flour that we see in the United States is ground from durum wheat and has a mid-range protein content of about 11 to 12%, similar to all-purpose white flour.

What does panettone mean in English? ›

noun,plural pan·et·to·nes [pan-i-toh-neez], Italian pan·et·to·ni [pah-net-taw-nee]. an Italian yeast-leavened bread, traditionally eaten on holidays, usually made with raisins, candied fruit peels, almonds, and brandy.

Why does panettone taste weird? ›

It has a texture akin to sandwich bread, in that when you compress it between your fingers it can be molded into Play-Doh-esque forms. It's porous and slightly sour, a flavor it derives from the intense fermenting process it undergoes before it hits the oven. It is labor-intensive and prohibitively difficult to bake.

Why do bakers hang panettone upside down? ›

Due to the delicate structure of the dough, which consists mainly of eggs, butter, and sugar, we hang them upside down immediately after baking so the starches can set as they cool. This prevents them from collapsing, which is also why the are so soft and fluffy!

What is the best mixer for panettone? ›

The Bite/N mixers are perfect for particularly hydrated types of dough that are used to make baguettes, sliced bread, and breadsticks, for example, but also pastries such as croissants, panettone, and brioches.

How do you know when panettone is done? ›

Bake the panettone in a preheated 375F oven until an internal temperature reaches between 190F and 195F when an instant thermometer is inserted deeply into the top center, 60 to 90 minutes.

Is panettone the hardest bread to make? ›

Making an artisan panettone takes days of careful work. Here's why it's worth it. It's been called the Mount Everest of holiday baking, considered by bakers to be the most difficult baked good to perfect.

Why does panettone bread last so long? ›

The presence of eggs and butter helps to keep the bread soft and prevents it from drying out quickly, allowing it to last longer [2]. Dried fruit and candied peel: Traditional panettone is often filled with dried fruit and candied orange or lemon peel.

Can you refrigerate panettone dough? ›

Let the dough rise overnight: I compensated for the biga/sponge shortcut by giving the dough an overnight slow rise in the fridge, which can be extended to two days. The long rise in the fridge gives the dough more flavor, makes it easier to shape, provides flexibility, and some of the work happens while you sleep.

What happens when you overproof dough? ›

An overproofed dough won't expand much during baking, and neither will an underproofed one. Overproofed doughs collapse due to a weakened gluten structure and excessive gas production, while underproofed doughs do not yet have quite enough carbon dioxide production to expand the dough significantly.

What flour do Italians use for cakes? ›

For cookies, bars, cakes/cupcakes, biscuits, scones, or anything that needs a tender crumb, use Farina di grano tenero, 00. This is your “cake flour.” Nobody wants a chewy cake.

Can you use 00 flour for panettone? ›

Italian mills will usually sell flour based on what its purpose is for. For long fermented doughs such as panettone the flour will be '00' but with a stronger gluten content than the '00' flour they'll sell for pizza or pasta making. An all-purpose flour can also be '00'.

What bread flour is used in Italy? ›

Grano duro is slightly yellow, more granular, and more commonly used for pasta and some breads in the south of Italy. It's also knows as durum wheat flour. Grano tenero is generally what we think of as white flour, and is more broadly used in bread, pizza, and pastry, and northern pasta doughs.

What is the best bread Italian flour? ›

Basic Ingredients 00 wheat flour (AKA farina di grano tenero 00) is an imported Italian flour. It is an excellent choice for making artisan breads, particularly those involving sourdough and long fermentation processes.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Velia Krajcik

Last Updated:

Views: 5993

Rating: 4.3 / 5 (54 voted)

Reviews: 93% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Velia Krajcik

Birthday: 1996-07-27

Address: 520 Balistreri Mount, South Armand, OR 60528

Phone: +466880739437

Job: Future Retail Associate

Hobby: Polo, Scouting, Worldbuilding, Cosplaying, Photography, Rowing, Nordic skating

Introduction: My name is Velia Krajcik, I am a handsome, clean, lucky, gleaming, magnificent, proud, glorious person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.