Mangia Bene Pasta
Panettone Recipes
Panettone, the tall, cylindrical, fruit-filled sweet bread from Milan has become an essential part of the Christmas season.
You can make panettone two months in advance, wrap it tightly in heavy-duty foil and freeze it. Since the bread making
begins with a starter dough, or sponge, and requires a long rising time, it is best to begin the process the evening before
baking or early in the day.
There are many variations of a romantic legend about the origins of panettone. Supposedly, there was a Milanese baker
named Toni who had a beautiful daughter. A young man who worked for Toni wanted to marry this daughter.
In an attempt to win the father's approval, the young man created a special sweet bread filled with fruits and other rich
ingredients. The bread made Toni's bakery famous. People began to call the bread "pan ad Toni" or Toni's bread.
Toni became wealthy and, needless to say, allowed the young man to marry his daughter.
During the Christmas season, Italians eat panettone at breakfast with coffee, between meals with Marsala wine, and after
dinner with spumante. Panettone can be toasted and spread with butter or mascarpone cheese for breakfast or used to make
a wonderful French toast. We have provided three additional recipes for serving panettone following the main bread recipe.
Panettone (Makes 1 large bread)
1 (1/4 ounce) package dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (110 - 115 degrees F)
1/2 cup flour
2/3 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup grappa or brandy
5 tablespoons butter, room temperature
2 eggs
4 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup warm water (110 - 115 degrees F)
1 tablespoon vanilla
4-1/2 to 5 cups flour
Grated zest of 1 orange
Grated zest of 1 lemon
1/2 cup chopped candied citron
To make the starter dough, or sponge, dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup warm water in a bowl.
Add 1/2 cup flour and stir to make a very loose dough.
Cover the bowl with a towel of plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for at least 6 hours or overnight.
In another bowl, combine the raisins and grappa, and let them soak for at least 6 hours or overnight.
In a large bowl, combine the butter, eggs, yolks, sugar, 1/4 cup warm water, and vanilla.
Drain the soaked raisins in a strainer set over a bowl.
Press on the raisins with a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Set the raisins aside.
Add the liquid to the egg mixture.
Add the starter dough and mix well.
Gradually add the flour, mixing with your hands until a soft dough forms.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.
Add more flour as needed.
Butter a large bowl, place the dough in it and turn once to coat both sides with the butter.
Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let rise for 6 hours in a warm place.
Butter and flour a panettone mold or other deep mold that is about 6 inches tall and 8 inches wide.
Punch down the dough and transfer it onto a lightly floured surface.
With your hands, flatten the dough into a large rectangle.
Evenly distribute the orange and lemon zest, raisins, and citron over the dough.
Fold the dough in half to enclose the fruit and knead to distribute the fruit throughout the dough.
Place the dough in the prepared mold, cover with a towel, and let rise for 45 minutes in a warm place.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Cut an X in the top of the dough with a sharp knife.
Bake for 15 minutes.
Reduce the heat to 350 degrees F.
Continue to bake for 30-35 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Place the bread on a rack to cool for 30 minutes before removing it from the mold.
Be sure that the bread has cooled completely before wrapping it for storage.
Panettone French Toast
1 (2 pound) panettone
6 eggs
2 cups milk
Grated zest of 1 orange
1 cup fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon almond extract
6 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
4-6 tablespoons butter
4-6 tablespoons vegetable oil
Cut panettone into 12-15 vertical slices, 1-inch thick.
Cut the slices in half.
Combine the ingredients from the eggs to the cinnamon.
Pour into 1 or 2 shallow bowls and add bread to the mixture.
Allow to soak 2-3 minutes, turning bread slices once.
In a skillet, melt 1 tablespoon each of butter and oil.
Add a few slices of the soaked bread without crowding.
Cook 3-4 minutes on each side, until lightly browned.
Place the cooked slices in a 200 degree F oven, while cooking
the remaining slices.
Repeat to cook remaining slices.
Serve with butter and maple syrup.
Dust with confectioners' sugar, if desired
(Serves 6-8)
Orange Bread Pudding
6 ounces panettone, thinly sliced ( about 8 slices)
2 cups whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup rum
1/4 cup Marsala wiwne
3 eggs
2 teaspoons grated orange zest
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Confectioners' sugar
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Butter a shallow 3 quart baking dish.
Lay the bread slices in the baking dish.
In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the milk and sugar.
Bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
Remove from heat and add the heavy cream, rum, and Marsala.
In a bowl, beat together the eggs, orange zest, and cinnamon.
Slowly stir in the milk mixture.
Pour the mixture over the bread slices, pressing the bread down to keep it submerged.
Let stand 10 minutes.
Place the baking dish in a large roasting pan.
Pour hot water around the baking dish to a depth of 1 inch.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
The top should be golden brown.
Sprinkle the top with confectioners' sugar.
Cut into squares. Serve warm or chilled.
(Serves 8)
Panettone with Mascarpone Sauce
1-3/4 cups whole milk
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon flour
1 egg
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
Panettone slices
In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, heat the milk until bubbles form around the edge.
Remove the pan from the heat.
In a small bowl, combine the sugar and flour.
Beat in the egg. Whisk in the hot milk.
Transfer the mixture back into the saucepan.
Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the sauce comes to a simmer.
Cook 1 minute.
Transfer the sauce to a small bowl.
Stir in the mascarpone, vanilla, and lemon zest until smooth.
Serve warm over slices of panettone..