An easy Panettone recipe with chocolate chips and dried fruit. This Italian sweet bread is usually made during Christmas and its' speckled interior will impress your whole family!
Panettone is a sweet Italian bread usually made for Christmas or New Year. Most Panettone recipes require one or even two days of preparation because you have to make a starter and feed it every so often for the yeast to develop. This here is an easier recipe, one you can make in one day with minimum effort but maximum results. But be aware: the vanilla and citrus zest, combined with the chocolate chips and the buttery scent of the dough will make your kitchen smell amazing! And in case you want a second dessert for your Christmas table, you should definitely consider making this Xmas scented cake with fluffy vanilla buttercream 🙂
In Christianity, bread is one of the most powerful symbols. And in Italy, during the past, yeast was considered a very special ingredient, so it was only used to make bread for religious celebrations, like Christmas. Throughout the years this bread was enriched with raisins and candied citrus peel (I also add chocolate chips), butter, and eggs, and that’s how Panettone was born. It actually has a lot of similarities with a Greek traditional sweet bread (Tsoureki), even though Tsoureki is made during Easter.
The classic Panettone recipe uses two parts raisins, one part candied orange peel and one part candied lemon peel. But, since you are the maker of this bread you can deviate from the standard recipe and customize your panettone to your liking. My favorite combinations so far are:
- 1 cup chopped golden raisins and ⅔ cups dark chocolate chips
- 1 cup dried cranberries and ⅔ cups white chocolate chips
- ½ cups golden raisins and ½ cup dried cranberries
Some people like to soak the dried fruit with some brandy or water, but I don’t like the extra moisture soaking adds to the fruit so I use them plain.
To hung upside-down or not?
For the fluffiest sweet Italian Christmas bread, you should pierce the bottom of the Panettone with two large skewers and hung it upside-down until it cools completely. That will make it extra airy and fluffy.
However, since this is meant to be an easy recipe you can totally skip this step. I’ve actually measured the height of my panettone and it probably lost only 0.2 inches (0.5 cm) in height and remained soft, fluffy and airy.
Some notes/tips:
- Normally, for a richer taste, only egg yolks are used, but for easiness and because I don’t like to waste egg whites (though they freeze nicely) I decided to use whole eggs instead.
- Butter can prohibit gluten formation, that’s why it is added after the first rise.
- Customize your Panettone by adding the dried fruit you prefer.
- Let the dough rise inside your oven, with only the oven light on. The light will provide enough warmth for the yeast to do its magic.
- The dough for this bread should be very soft, elastic, and somewhat sticky. That’s why you’ll have to use a stand mixer for the kneading. Kneading by hand will be difficult.
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If you don't want to make your own mold, I have found online these Panettone paper molds . If you choose them, you should buy the P170 size and divide the dough between two of these paper molds. Start checking for doneness at 40 minutes.
Recipe
Easy Italian Christmas Bread (Panettone)
Ingredients
- 4 cups (560 grams) bread flour
- 1 tablespoon (9 grams) dry yeast
- ½ cup (110 grams) white sugar
- ½ cup (120 ml) warm milk (not hot)
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- The zest from half orange, one lemon, and one mandarin orange
- 4 large eggs (about 240 grams)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ⅔ cups (150 grams) soft butter (room temperature)
- ½ cup (75 grams) golden raisins, roughly chopped
- ½ cup (75 grams) dried cranberries
- ⅔ cups (100 grams) dark or white chocolate chips (optional)
- 1 panettone mold or one 8-inch 20 cm round pan, lined with baking paper (see notes).
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 104°F (40°C) and turn off the heat but leave the oven light on.
- Transfer the yeast, one tablespoon of the flour and one tablespoon of the sugar to a small bowl and mix to combine. Add the warm milk, stir to combine and let it foam for 5-10 minutes.
- In the bowl of your electric mixer add the rest of the flour, the sugar, the zest, and the salt and mix to combine. Add the eggs, the yeast mixture, and the vanilla and mix with the dough attachment until all of the flour is absorbed. Cover the bowl with cling film and let it rest in the oven until the dough is tripled in volume (2-4 hours).
- Deflate the dough and knead with the dough attachment for 5 minutes. Start adding the butter gradually until incorporated. You may have to stop and scrape the bowl a few times. The dough will be very soft. Continue kneading until it becomes very elastic and smooth. Add the dried fruit (and the chocolate chips, if using) and knead for one more minute.
- Oil your hands and your working surface (or rub them with some butter). Transfer the dough to your working surface and shape a ball. Transfer the ball to the Panettone mold, and score a cross with a sharp knife. Brush the surface with some milk or melted butter, cover with cling film and let it rest in the oven until tripled in volume (it is best to use a ruler and measure the height of the dough before and after the rise). It should take 2-3 hours.
- When the Panettone is almost ready, take it out of the oven and remove the cling film. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and bake for 45-50 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean (it can take longer if you use a cake pan). Cover the surface with foil if you notice it browns too fast. Take it off the oven and let it cool on a rack. Slice and eat!
Notes
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Akhila@Pepper Delight
Let me take a moment to appreciate the royal touch of these photos. Beautifully styled and loved the lighting.
I have only tasted store bought panettone and yours looks amazing. Never really thought of making one, but I must give this a try sometime soon! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Makos
Thank you Akhila! I was hoping you would like it!!!
Lily
Makos, can I use regular flour instead of the bread flower or does it have to be bread flour? I really want to make the panettone this Christmas!
Makos
Hi Lily!
If you can find bread flour I'd suggest to use it, because it will make the dough more elastic and smooth. If you can't find any, you can make it with regular (all-purpose) flour, but the texture may not be exactly the same. It will still taste delicious though!
Wei
Hi Makos thanks for sharing this recipe, it is indeed quite easy. However, the texture of the bread was a little dry. Was it due to over proofing of the dough or over cooking? All my timings were under yours. Many thanks
Makos
Hi Wei,
I really can't say for sure, because a lot of factors can result in a drier bread, like adding more flour, or the material of the mold (paper, dark metal or light colored aluminum) or its size and height. Overbaking is the most possible reason though... Next time you can try adding one or two extra tablespoons of butter and check for doneness 10 minutes earlier.
Wei
Thanks Makos, will do that.
Melissa
Amazing pictures and almost perfect recipe!
I have a suggestion (I bake my own panettone since 3 years now, I’m Italian <3), when you take it out of the oven the best way to preserve is soft and fluffy texture is to let it cool upside down.
I usually use two boxes of cereal to hold my metal skewer. You just run the skewer 4 cm from the bottom, turn the brioche upside down and let it cool like this.
This way prevents the weight from the brioche to "collapse", ending up with the fluffy original texture of the panettone!
I hope I managed to explain the method, have a lovely Christmas!
(Pic I take from my first batch, these are small, but the method it's the same: http://easy.peasy.it/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/5216-1.jpg)
Makos
Thanks Melissa!
Yes, you explained it perfect! I mention the upside down method in the post, too 🙂
Lisa Simmons
Hi, I would like to just use chocolate chips as my children don't like dried fruit and nuts. Could you advise on the quantities?
Thanks
Makos
Hi Lisa,
1 -1.5 cups will be enough. If you want it extra rich increase that to 2 cups.
Lisa Simmons
Brilliant, thanks. I'll let you know how I get on. All ready for Christmas morning. Merry Christmas
Hellen
I have never made panettone before and I really wanted to try this year and I liked the look of this recipe. It worked so well! My family were impressed and delighted. Thank you so much. I especially appreciate the use of whole eggs as I also hate wasting whites/having to find a use for them.
Makos
Thanks Hellen! I try to use whole eggs (at least in recipes where the difference is small or negligible). However, egg whites freeze exceptionally well and I also have a great recipe for soft amaretti cookies that call for egg whites only.
Happy New Year!