Panettone
Photo: N i c o l a from Fiumicino (Rome), Italy · CC BY 2.0

History

The panettone took shape in 15th-century Milan and the modern industrial form was codified by Angelo Motta in 1919, who introduced the tall cylinder shape and the long natural-yeast fermentation. Gioacchino Alemagna built the rival Milan brand in 1925; both were merged into Nestle in the 1970s. The artisan revival of the 1990s onward, led by Iginio Massari and Davide Longoni, returned the panettone to 48-hour natural-yeast leavens and small-batch baking. Marchesi 1824, Pasticceria Cova, Olivieri 1882 and Pave all bake canonical Christmas versions; a 1kg pasticceria panettone runs 40 to 80 euros, an industrial supermarket loaf 15 to 25.

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Common allergens: Gluten, Egg, Dairy

Make it at home

Yield 1Hands-on 2 hrTotal 48 hrDifficulty Advanced

Ingredients

  • First leaven (lievito madre): 100g active sourdough starter, 100g strong bread flour, 50ml water
  • Main dough: 500g 00 flour (high protein)
  • 150g caster sugar
  • 5 large egg yolks
  • 200g butter at room temperature (cubed)
  • 200ml whole milk warmed to 30C
  • 8g salt
  • 1 vanilla pod scraped
  • Fruit: 150g candied orange peel diced
  • 50g candied citron peel diced
  • 100g sultanas soaked in 50ml rum and drained

Method

  1. Day 1 morning: feed the starter with flour and water. Cover and leave 4 hours at 28C until tripled in volume.
  2. Day 1 afternoon: in a stand mixer, combine the flour, sugar, salt, vanilla and warm milk. Add the egg yolks and the leaven. Mix on slow speed for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
  3. Add the butter cube by cube, mixing on medium-slow for 15 minutes until the dough is glossy, elastic and pulls cleanly off the hook.
  4. Fold in the candied peel and rum-soaked sultanas by hand. Cover and rest at 28C for 6 to 8 hours until tripled in volume.
  5. Day 2 morning: shape into a tight ball and drop into a paper panettone mould (16cm diameter, 16cm tall). Cover and prove at 28C for 6 to 8 more hours until the dough crests just below the rim.
  6. Score a cross on top, dot with butter. Bake at 175C for 50 to 55 minutes. The internal temperature should reach 94C.
  7. Skewer the bottom of the panettone with two long metal sticks and hang upside down between two stools to cool for 8 hours. This is essential or the crumb collapses.

Tip from the editors. The 48-hour natural-yeast leaven is what separates an artisan panettone from an industrial loaf.

Where to eat panettone

Panettone in Milan

Marchesi 1824 ★ 4.6

€€ 8-18 eurosBrunchTraditional Milanese pasticceria brunchCentro Storico

Marchesi 1824 in Centro Storico is the Sunday-morning brunch option for purists who want the Milanese pasticceria experience at its most historical.

OrderPanettone toast with Langhe butter and chestnut honey

Directions

Pasticceria Cova ★ 4.7

€ BakeryMilanese confectionery, panettone, petits foursCentro Storico

Pasticceria Cova on Via Montenapoleone has made Milanese confectionery since 1817, the tea room of the fashion-week circuit. Located in Centro Storico.

Worth the queuePanettone classico with Madagascar vanilla

Directions

Pave ★ 4.5

€€ 12-20 eurosBrunchArtisan pastry-led brunchPorta Venezia

Pave in Porta Venezia is the natural brunch destination for the city's artisan-pastry crowd on weekends. Open sat-sun 09:00-17:00. At Via Felice Casati 27.

OrderBombolone alla crema and single-origin filter coffee

Directions

Davide Longoni Pane ★ 4.7

€ BakeryLong-fermentation sourdough bread, panettone, michettaPorta RomanaWalk-in only

Davide Longoni Pane in Milan's Porta Romana is the city's most respected bread baker, running nine Milan locations from the Via Tiraboschi original.

Worth the queuePane di pasta madre with heritage grain

Directions

Princi ★ 4.5

€ BakeryPizza al taglio, focaccia, michetta, pastryCentro StoricoWalk-in only

Princi at Via Speronari near the Duomo has set the Milan bakery standard since 1986, the flagship of the Rocco Princi-designed forno group. Family-friendly.

Worth the queuePizza bianca al rosmarino

Directions

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