Italian Panettone Recipe

If you are looking for a new recipe to step up your dessert game, then we have the perfect one for you! This Italian panettone recipe is impressive for so many reasons, but we love that it contains dried fruit, making it unique and flavorful. Recipe developer Stephanie Rapone recreated this Italian classic that looks and tastes amazing. "It's a traditional dessert to enjoy around Christmas time," Rapone shares. "The texture is between a cake and a bread, and is incredibly light. It usually has dried or candied fruits that have been soaked in liqueur and has a very tall shape with a puffy top." 

There is plenty to love about this tasty treat, but Rapone describes her favorite part the best. "Even though it takes a while to rise, this recipe has been the most reliable yeast-dough dessert recipe I've ever made," she raves. "I also appreciate that it isn't overly sweet. It's simple and really worth the effort to make at home." If you're looking for a traditional, tasty, and impressive dessert to bring to your holiday party, then this Italian panettone has you covered!

Now, it's time to get things started. First, you will need to take a trip to the store and gather all of the ingredients necessary to make this dish. Start with a few candied orange peels, candied cherries, dried currants, and golden raisins. You will also need to grab an orange liqueur like Grand Marnier. Next, pick up some instant yeast, whole milk, and granulated sugar.

In addition, be sure to get some bread, flour, and plain salt. Rounding out the bottom of the list, grab a few ounces of bread flour, plain salt, a few large eggs, unsalted butter, and slivered almonds. "The dried fruits and nuts can be swapped or omitted. Our favorite variation is to use 6 ounces candied cherries and 4 ounces dark chocolate chips," Rapone shares.

The first step in this recipe process is to let the butter soften. Easy enough, right? You can either take it out of the fridge 2 hours before you begin, or if you'd prefer, you can also let it sit on your counter overnight. 

Next, grab a cutting board and a sharp knife, and cut the orange peel. Then, take out your cherries and cut them into quarters. In a large bowl, combine the orange peel, cherries, currants, and raisins. Next, add the orange liqueur and stir. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set it aside for the time being. Let it sit at room temperature overnight.

Remove two tablespoons of milk from the ¾ cups that this recipe calls for, and then put it in the fridge to use later. Then, microwave the remaining five ounces of milk for 20 seconds. Once the timer beeps, remove it from the microwave and check the temperature. You want it to be about 100 to 110 F, similar to coffee. If it needs to be hotter, you can continue heating in five to 10 second increments. Once the milk is hot enough, add the yeast and then stir in the sugar. Let is sit for five minutes.

So far, so good. Now, take out the bowl from your stand mixer and add the flour. Make sure that the mixer is fitted with a dough hook as well, as this is what you will use to stir the dough. Then, add the salt and stir briefly. The last thing you will need to do for the time being is to pour the yeast and milk mixture into the bowl. Mix on low speed until everything combines. Then, crack five eggs into the batter while the mixer is on low. Once you have added all the eggs, increase the speed to medium and mix until the dough is smooth and sticky.

Take out the softened butter and cut up 18 tablespoons into bite-sized pieces. Turn the mixer to medium-high and add the butter in just a few chunks at a time. Once you have added all of the butter, continue mixing for five more minutes, or until the dough turns glossy, smooth, and very soft.

Now that your dough is good to do, we can continue to move forward. Grab a large glass bowl and grease it with one tablespoon of butter. Then, gently let the dough slide out of the mixing bowl and into the greased glass bowl. Scrape out any dough that stays in the mixing bowl with a rubber spatula and transfer it into the greased bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge. Let the bread rise in the refrigerator for 15 to 18 hours. 

Grab a mesh strainer and strain your fruits. Then, sprinkle half of the fruit evenly on the dough. Once you do that, lightly dust your workspace with flour. Take out the dough and dump it out onto the workspace. Then, press it into a rectangle, so it's about 9x13-inches. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough but just be careful not to press down too hard.

Fold the dough over and lightly roll it to distribute the fruit evenly. Press it into a rectangle again and sprinkle the remaining fruit and half of the almonds evenly. Then, fold together and roll to distribute evenly. Then, form the dough into a ball.

Using the last tablespoon of butter, grease the panettone paper mold or a panettone baking dish. "Panettone molds can vary widely in size. If you have a 7" diameter pan/mold, this dough will make one loaf. If you have smaller ones (the ones I purchased were 5" in diameter), this dough will make two cakes. You want to make sure when you put the ball in the mold it's about 2"-3" from the top rim of the mold," Rapone says. "If you don't have or want to buy a panettone mold, cut parchment paper 5" wide. Spray a cake pan (7" diameter is ideal) with non-stick spray. Cut a circle of parchment for the bottom, then line the sides with the parchment paper extending above the edges of the pan to create a "fake" high-sided mold."

Now, drop the dough in the middle of the dish and stud the remaining almonds on top. "You're actually using the almonds to "stud" the cake," Rapone explains. "Just stick them in the top so it looks pretty and some of them get toasty." Then, set the container in a warm spot and let it rise for one to two hours, or until the dough rises about the rim of the dish. Rapone says you should go by the size of the rise, not the time, as it may take a little longer. Be sure the spot where your dough sits is at least 75 F.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. In the meantime, make an egg wash by mixing the remaining egg with the reserved two tablespoons of milk, then brush it over the top of the cake. Now, pop the cake in the center of the oven for about 20 minutes. Then, lower the oven temperature to 300 F and then cook for another 45 to 55 minutes. "If you make smaller cakes, bake at 350 for 20 min, then reduce and bake for 30 min. Check the doneness with a thermometer and continue to bake until it reaches 190-200F," Rapone says.

Take a skewer and poke it through the middle of the cake. Then, turn the cake upside down and let it rest over two glasses or jars. Let the cake cool upside down for at least 2 hours. Then, slice and serve as you wish. Rapone recommends serving the cake with a hot drink or a dessert wine. "If you like a little sweetness, use a mesh sieve to dust with some confectioners sugar," Rapone suggests. "This would also be delicious if you made thick slices out of it and made it into french toast."

Anything left over? "Wrap leftovers tightly in plastic wrap and then put in a zip-top bag or wrap in foil. It should last at room temperature for a week, or in the freezer for up to three months," Rapone says. We hope you enjoyed this recipe as much as we do!