Traditional Panettone

Soft, light, chewy, fruity and wonderfully fragrant, Panettone is Italy’s world famous sweet bread that is traditionally enjoyed for Christmas and New Year. But you don’t have to limit yourself, you can enjoy this traditional treat all year long!

Panettone is synonymous with an Italian Christmas. Indeed, the two have gone hand in hand for centuries and to deviate from the tradition would be unthinkable. And so year after year Italian home bakers continue that tradition and for those who prefer the convenience of store-bought, Italian food manufacturers produce more than 7,100 tons of panettone each year – and only 10% of those are sold outside the country. With a population of 16.5 million people in Italy that averages out to nearly 4.5 pounds of panettone per person (adult, child and infant) per year. That’s A LOT of panettone!

Ingredients:

For the Starter:

1/4 cup (60 ml) lukewarm water

1/2 teaspoon (2 g) active dry yeast

3/4 cup (100 g) all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon (2 g) salt

For the Fruit Mixture:

1 cup (140 g) raisins

1/4 cup candied orange peel

1/4 cup candied lemon peel

**Homemade Candied Orange & Lemon Peel **VERY STRONGLY RECOMMENDED (using homemade makes ALL the difference in flavor! It's easy to make and you'll be SO glad you did!)

zest of one lemon

2 teaspoons fresh orange zest

For the Panettone:

2 1/2 cups (350 g) all-purpose flour

3 teaspoons active dry yeast (9 g)

1/2 teaspoons (2 g) salt

1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar

1/2 cup (130 ml) milk , at room temperature (do NOT use cold milk)

5 large egg yolks , at room temperature (do NOT use cold eggs)

prepared starter (see above)

10 tablespoons (150 g) unsalted butter , at room temperature (do NOT use cold butter)

2-3 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon quality vanilla bean paste

OR one vanilla bean, scraped

1 lightly beaten egg