Panettone Recipe | Italian Christmas Bread Recipe (2024)

Natalie — December 23, 2022 @ 11:37 am Reply

Thank you for this wonderful recipe – I’ve made it every year since I discovered it in 2015 and it always comes out delicious even though about 3 of the years I’ve sorta burned the top. The middle always has great texture and flavor even if it looks too dark on the outside!

This year I didn’t have a chance to get the molds, so I’m going to try using 6×4 inch molds that I ordered by mistake at some point in the past. Any suggestions as to how to adjust the baking time and/or temp? If I do the same temp 370, would 25-30 minutes do the trick? I’m hoping someone who has made this with the shorter molds has some insight so I don’t ruin my bread opening the oven 17 times!

Nalinee Bissoondath — December 24, 2021 @ 7:04 am Reply

I used this recipe a few times absolutely amazing results,thank you.

Elizabeth — December 10, 2021 @ 2:01 pm Reply

WOW! This is so much better than the imported, store bought panettone.

Nice texture and flavour. Quick and easy to assemble the dough. The instructions are superb.

This is the first time I used this recipe and I was blown away by it. Next year I am making several panettone to give as gifts.

Allison — November 28, 2021 @ 8:28 am Reply

I think it would be very helpful to put that “tepid water” means 100 degrees F in this case in the recipe (since tepid can mean anywhere from 60 to 100 degrees F). I had to read through a lot of inappropriately rude comments to find that out after I woke up this morning and discovered that my dough hadn’t risen in the oven at all. Also, maybe what temperature home you’re normally working in? I’ve stuck the dough in the proofer at 75 degrees now, so fingers crossed it rallies. I’ve never had any problems with any other recipe from your collection, so I think maybe including those two details in the recipe would be very helpful, since bread making is so sensitive to temperature. I’m still optimistic that this will work out well!

Nadja — November 25, 2021 @ 1:19 pm Reply

I baked 30 (yes, 30) Panettone last xmas.
Everybody loved them.
This year I will bake them again, just not as many.
Thanks for the wonderful recipe.

ꕥ Amazing panettone bread – comes out perfect every time. Highly recommend this recipe! ꕥ

Heather Schoenberg — December 22, 2020 @ 12:40 am Reply

This year I decided to give the gift of panettone to friends and neighbours. Never having made it before, I started early in November so as to get in a fee practice runs. I’ve made a single bread using a large nut can as a mold, cupcake sizes and finally individual panettone all with great success. (I had one fail in trying to invert the cake to cool, so I’ve forgone that step in later editions.)
Also, not sure how it would go without a,stand mixer.
Thanks for a great recipe !

Kim — December 20, 2020 @ 9:38 pm Reply

I’ve been making this panettone for years! Some years it turns out better than others, usually it’s the rise, but it always tastes fantastic. This year I decided to try another recipe, because it only took one day. What a mistake! Panettone definitely needs that overnight rise…be patient. I just finished my bake, at it’s picture perfect. I made my own candied orange peel this year, which I think just adds to this already tastey bread.

Fakhria — December 2, 2020 @ 1:00 am Reply

Is there any non alcoholic substitute for rum in this receipt ? Thank you

Joye Williamson — October 16, 2020 @ 4:54 pm Reply

Made this for the first time for my sisters just now – it is fabulous!! I was afraid I might mess it up since I’m a sometimes baker. But with the little hints you added to the recipe, it was easy! My sisters LOVE it – it is definitely a keeper! My only question is….could you add pecans or walnuts to it or would they keep the dough from rising?

C — July 26, 2020 @ 4:45 pm Reply

Tried 5 differetnt recipes for this. So not worth the effort. It was awful.

Anna — April 2, 2020 @ 10:23 am Reply

I am making this recipe for the first time. Very excited! I have an aluminum mold and the paper molds. Can I actually put the raw dough in the paper mold to rise and then bake? Will the paper mold weaken and collapse?

Laurie — December 24, 2019 @ 10:33 am Reply

I didn’t have any problems with the rise, but it didn’t seem like there was enough flour – the dough was more batterlike. I added another heaping cup of flour (so 5 cups total) and it made a very soft dough, nothing that I could really knead, but I was nervous to add too much without ever having tried the recipe. I have made brioche before (for babka) and it was not as firm as that dough. It tastes very good but reminds me more of Irish Soda bread in consistency. Any ideas what went wrong?

Kathy — December 22, 2019 @ 10:46 pm Reply

I’m a few years late to the party on this recipe but I followed it exactly and baked mini panettone today (30 minutes at 370 degrees) and they turned out perfectly! Light, flavorful and melt in your mouth. Gifting some to my neighbors tomorrow, the rest fir Christmas morning. Thanks.

Mickey Mouse — January 29, 2019 @ 4:26 pm Reply

What a load of trollop!!!
Thispanettone bread that you are portraying to have made was on sale in the supermarkets Christmas 2018… what a scam!!!!!

Kate — December 28, 2018 @ 4:22 pm Reply

I’ve made this recipe a few times to no avail, every time I make it, it doesn’t rise on the first rise. And the rise on the second is not great either leading to a raw middle or a very dense crumbly texture. Any tips?

Tim schaefer — December 24, 2018 @ 9:17 pm Reply

Hi, why do you cold proof the dough for 12-15 hours?

Jeanette J — November 17, 2018 @ 5:31 pm Reply

I have made this excellent and SUPER EASY recipe every year since 2013. I’m NOT an experienced bread maker and I’m super lazy and cut corners everywhere when I cook. I chuck everything into the Kitchenaid, mix & cover, check it 15 hours later, pop it into the mold, 5 hours later I’m baking it. It rises high & beautiful. My yeast is usually old or nearly expired since I hardly use it. NEVER had a problem. 5 annual seasons of bliss and compliments from all who eat this perfect panettone. Thank you so much for this. Saves me a ton of cash too since store panettones are getting expensive and I like eating them.

Megan Kalu — November 12, 2018 @ 5:26 pm Reply

I’m a bit confused, in your recipe you say to add flour, yeast, etc… but just add the yeast without putting it in milk or water? Just out of the packet straight in with the flour and other ingredients? Will it rise that way?

lubna — November 11, 2018 @ 12:20 pm Reply

i was looking for a good panettone recipe, yours seems just right, i’m gonna try it the upcoming days and will tag you for the result on my inta

Can’t believe all the comments about yours not being homemade!!! It would never have crossed my mind. I just posted mine to instagram. I actually made it twice this Christmas season. The one prior to this was actually slightly better as I used SAF Gold yeast and got a better rise and texture. Only other tweaks I made were to sub currents for the raisins, increase the rum to 1/4 cup, add some orange zest with the lemon, use vanilla bean paste rather than a vanilla bean and instead of the citron I used a combo of chopped dried apricots, cherries and cranberries (never been a fan of citron).
Now that I have this one down I want to try and recreate one I had from Modena which was injected with a balsamic reduction after baking!! Spread with a bit of fresh ricotta from a nearby Parm factory it was heavenly.

Jeanne Fuchs — January 14, 2018 @ 9:28 am Reply

I don’t have a stand mixer with paddle attachment! Am I doomed to never make panettone? I have a sturdy hand mixer with a dough hook – would this work?

Lisa — January 4, 2018 @ 1:16 pm Reply

HELP! I plan to start the dough today(!). Sorry for the short notice.
1. Can I use the dough hook instead of paddle attachment?
2. Are your candied orange peels soft or crunchy or in between? I made them and, of course, kind of overcooked them, so they crystallized and are quite hard on the outside due to the sugar water. I threw them in with my rum soaking raisins to see if that will soften them up. I think it’s working. Are they still ok to use? or Should I candy new peels?
Thanks for your time.
from another baker with brown eyes ;-)

I was impressed that this, too, was a Jim Lahey recipe. It is incredibly different from the one that shows up in his second book. Which is the one that I tackled this week. That one calls for a biga, and then an extremely long first ferment (he says 15-48 hours) and then a second ferment/rise in the panettone container for (“5-7 hours”). What resulted, because I erred to the maximum and did the longest times, was not good. My suspicion is that the yeast consumed all of the available gluten and that is what caused the epic fail. I have gotten to know an Italian guy who opened his second gelateria (1st in Austin, 2nd here in Houston) and we brainstorm and talk about recipes and baking a lot. Ironically both my attempts to duplicate classic Italian breads (baba au rhum and panetonne) have failed but it gives us a great jumping off point to figure out what went wrong. When I used to teach cooking classes I would always say, “I hope we have several mini disasters today because then I can show you how to fix it. If everything goes too perfectly you may run into a situation that you can’t correct. But call me 24/7 if something happens.” And so, I look forward to trying this older recipe with your modifications as I suspect it will be spectacular. Regards, Jay Francis

Alan Swindells — January 2, 2018 @ 2:04 pm Reply

I know it is now four years since this recipe was posted, but I notice that a lot of comments BTL are complaining that the dough won’t rise. To all those who struggle with this, try using a yeast that is adapted to a high-sugar environment. Saf-Instant gold is ideal, and results in a much faster rise.

Yee-Fan — December 27, 2017 @ 12:47 am Reply

Thank you for all your tips! Is your bread’s texture shreddy and stringy when pulled? I have made the Jim Lahey recipe 5 to 6 times now from other sites, and I can’t get the soft and shreddy, melty consistency I am coveting.

Any suggestions would be helpful! I have not tried using your directions yet. (I have tried mixing to get window pane stage both before the first rise, or after the first rise, or both. But it always comes out cakey, tight crumbed and a bit dry. Though still very flavorful!)

I’ve tried:
http://hungerhunger.blogspot.com/2012/01/best-panettone.html
http://www.chatelaine.com/recipe/brunch/slow-rise-italian-panettone/

Julia — December 26, 2017 @ 6:43 am Reply

Very pleased with the outcome, the recipe is shorter than standard Italian ones but it tasted great and was very moist. Really enjoyed making this panettone. Easy to follow, looked and smelled amazing when it came out of the oven. Definitely will try once more.

david — December 25, 2017 @ 11:45 am Reply

How do you activate your dry yeast in this recipe ? I did what the instructions called for and my first rise did not rise…

susan — December 24, 2017 @ 11:54 am Reply

This failed to rise. I proofed the yeast prior to making. The 1/2 tsp yeast looks like way too little for any recipe. It was an expensive attempt and it sounded exactly like the panattone I have purchased.

Mary — December 20, 2017 @ 9:05 am Reply

Hi Michelle. So I’ve made this Panettone 3 times so far. Twice this season! Although the taste and texture are equal to the store bought, I can’t seem to get my panettone to rise the way it’s described in the recipe. I’ve left it in a warm oven, under the light on you of the stove, and nothing. What is going on? Should more yeast be added? Help.

Jerri Gershenson — December 18, 2017 @ 2:12 pm Reply

I have made this recipe a couple of times now(using chocolate instead of fruit) and it is wonderful and so easy! Thank you!

Donna Marie Ambrose — December 15, 2017 @ 8:42 am Reply

I made this recipe and had some difficulties with it. I am an experienced bread baker, but don’t use a mixer. I used the mixer for this as directed but the dough was wet and thin, more like cake batter. So I added flour and kneaded by hand to form a soft, elastic dough. I placed it in the cold oven overnight and it hadn’t risen at all by morning. So I placed it near my wood stove where it began to rise. By that night it had doubled and by morning had tripled in bulk. I shaped it as directed and placed in a panettone paper wrap and then into a panettone pan. It took another 8 hours to rise to the top of the paper wrap. I baked it for 60 minutes and it was still a little wet inside. The top was quite black so I covered the top with foil and baked it a few more minutes until the skewer came out dry. I have not cut and tasted it yet as I am saving it for Christmas morning. I am wondering what I did wrong and if anyone else has made this recipe, or if anyone has suggestions. Thanks!

Donna

Beverly Formisano — December 15, 2017 @ 2:47 am Reply

I made panettone before, it always works and taste delicious. I came across with your recipe as it’s easier and the finish product looks amazing. I thought I give it a go… Unfortunately my dough didn’t rise, not an inch! I don’t know what went wrong. I’m contemplating what to do with the dough. Either make something out of it or throw it away and start again.

Mary Montanaro — December 14, 2017 @ 6:54 pm Reply

Hi Michelle. Just wondering if I should grease the Panettone mould. Thank you.

Grace — December 14, 2017 @ 12:44 pm Reply

I dont think it’s going to turn out well. I did everything exactly and it’s been 15 hours and it didn’t rise……not even doubled….

Alison — December 9, 2017 @ 11:33 am Reply

Help! My dough didn’t rise at all. I left it overnight in a cold oven for 13 hours now and it looks exactly like when I put it in there. Did I not use enough yeast. My yeast didn’t actually say” active dry yeast” on it it says “Fast rise yeast use for all bread” it’s Hannaford brand, and it’s not expired. Should I have activated it in water first like I would for normal bread?

Is there anyway I can fix this? I am thinking of activating some yeast in warm water and adding that to the dough. Thoughts?

Josie binker — November 30, 2017 @ 1:46 am Reply

At the beginning of November we were given a commercial huge pannetone in a metal tube. Love it. Can you tell me how long it should last as there is just two of us. Will ty to make it soon, as home made is usually always the best.
Thanks for the recipe..
Josie

I have just come across your panettone recipe, and am going to give it a try. It looks amazing,. I have tried making it before, without much success so I’m hoping this time it turns out better! Can I leave the dough in the fridge for the first rise, as I know it would overproof if I left it out overnight? I’m thinking of brioche dough when I ask this…thanks!

Teresa Ferreira — November 4, 2017 @ 8:36 am Reply

I bought a metal panettone mould. Should i butter it? I don’t have paper moulds.

Julia Morrell — November 1, 2017 @ 1:54 am Reply

I made this last year and was looking at it to see what candied fruit I needed.
Bummed because King Arthur is not carrying it this year . I found this recipe to be delicious. Takes awhile but absolutely worth the effort

Marcia Wallace — October 29, 2017 @ 10:25 pm Reply

First of all I have to and will make this. But I do have 2 questions. What is suppose to happen between
the second rise and the time to bake? There are 12 hours between the second rise and baking. The
second rise is only suppose to be 3 to 5 hours. Second why would put a whole vanilla bean in a batter
and then beat it with a mixer? Wouldn’t it tear up the bean? Also how are you suppose to get the nectar
out of the bean. Shouldn’t it just be scraped?

Thank You

Cathy — August 10, 2017 @ 8:37 am Reply

I tried the pennetone recipe. I used mini paper cases as I couldn’t find the big pennetone cups. I used thin bamboo sticks to poke through the mini pennetone while cooling. They turned out excellent. Soft and with a beautiful texture. The only thing to take note of is when the dough is being mixed, it looks abit wet but do not panic, as it will get dry when the dough is ready. Thank you for the recipe.

Is it alright to add nuts in the mixture? For more flavors.

Rufo Santos-deLeon — March 28, 2017 @ 9:26 am Reply

The dough didn’t rise while in the oven. I don’t know if 1/2 teaspoon of yeast is enough or mixing it with the dry ingridients is right. Please advise. I took it outside and put it on top of the fridge to see if it rises there (I have done this with other panettone recipes). I’ll let you know if it works. Please advise.

sarah wu — March 10, 2017 @ 11:41 pm Reply

Made this and it was way too sweet for my taste. Also, the bread was way too dense and heavy, so when I inserted the skewers in and hung it upside down, the skewers tore through the bread and it fell! It was also incredibly crumbly and fell apart into pieces the moment I sliced into it :( Not sure why there was so little gluten development as I kneaded it for 8minutes as instructed in the recipe.

Jorge Bizarro — January 5, 2017 @ 7:32 am Reply

Very good recipe… thanks for posting. I feel tempted to try it for the first time ever in baking Panetone
Do you now Bruno Albourze’s recipe blog (mostly French pastries)? – That is the first place I go for tricky recipes.
So I went there for panetone… yours is more easier and quicker, but Bruno has a gift to lay out in a simple manner, recipes that look a bit more complicated: http://www.brunoskitchen.net/home

villy — January 3, 2017 @ 12:48 pm Reply

Thank you for the recipe! I made it a few days ago and the result was amazingly aromatic. It came out a bit dense but it actually lasts long – and revives wonderfully when slightly toasted!

Jessica — January 2, 2017 @ 8:16 pm Reply

Is it possible to make this bread using a bundt pan?

Rita — December 30, 2016 @ 9:44 am Reply

I wanted to make something special to send to all of my co-workers who are in a project I’m leading. Like the author, I had seen recipes with overnight starters and the whole week starter. While I was willing to do that, after reading this recipe I asked myself why make things more difficult than they need to be??? Indeed. This recipe has a long duration to complete, but the actual time spent is quite nominal. The results are fabulous. One of my co-workers who has lived in Europe for part of her life thought that they were professionally made. I made 24 using the King Arthur bake-able paper wrappers. I reduced the cooking time to 35-40 minutes. Great recipe.

Vince — December 26, 2016 @ 7:04 pm Reply

I made this panettone a few days ago. My first attempt results were not that great. The flavour profile was spot on however it ended up being a little too dense. It did not rise as noted in the recipe. I made a few tweaks for my second attempt. This time the dough had a good rise during fermentation and the proofing. The result was excellent. The panettone had incredible flavour and an airy and moist crumb. My tweaks were as follows:
– Measured out flour by weight rather than by volume using volume to weight conversion of 1 cup = 120g
– Baked at a slightly lower temp – 350 degrees
– While proofing, in my oven, I kept the temp between 26 and 31 degrees Celsius. I also placed a small pot of boiled water in the oven to increase humidity.
– I used candied orange peel
– I also added 1/4 teaspoon orange zest
– Rather that adding the vanilla bean in the mix, which I also could not find after mixing on the first attempt, I scraped the bean and added the seeds to the mix

The dough in the moldended up being too wet to be able to cut an X, so I may tweak the amount of flour and mixing time for future attempts.

This recipe is definitely a keeper. Thanks Michelle for posting and keeping the Jim Lahey recipe alive.

Ana — December 25, 2016 @ 6:07 am Reply

We tried this recipe a year ago and made it again, we are making the 3rd one now! It is a great recipe. We even made it by hand as we don’t have a stand mixer and it work perfectly! Also, we used cranberries and mixed citron peel.. delicious :)

Laura — December 21, 2016 @ 8:02 pm Reply

I just tried this recipe and my dough never rose. I bought new yeast so I don’t think that is the problem. I’m afraid I’m going to have to throw this out. I’m disappointed, I usually love your recipes and I’m not sure what went wrong.

LeeBee — December 19, 2016 @ 5:12 pm Reply

Lovely recipe. Looking forward to making it this week. My question is regarding the vanilla bean. Do you scrape it before removing it from the dough?

Maurício — December 19, 2016 @ 3:29 pm Reply

Gostei muito da fórmula dessa receita, vou faze-la, em breve… só não vou usar os palitinhos.
Obrigado! Por publicar a receita.FELICIDADES!!!!!!!

Lauren — December 18, 2016 @ 12:28 pm Reply

I followed this recipe exactly, down to the King Arthur paper mold. I am an experienced baker ( including bread) and was eager to try my hand at panettone. The dough turned out more like a batter rather than a dough you can handle. It did rise fine during the first rising, but trying to scrape it and shape it was not going to fly. I ended up adding about 1/2 cup or more additional flour before the 2nd rising which I’m sure will likely ruin it, but not sure what else to do. It is still sticky. Even if it did rise, the wet towel would stick to the top. I literally checked all ingredients and measurements twice and read the recipe over several times before I started. I drained the fruit carefully. I put it for a 2nd rise now, but supported the damp towel so it won’t stick I’ve never had an issue like this with an on line recipe. I’ll let you know the results, but imagine it will be a disaster.

What a waste of good ingredients.

NANCY — December 15, 2016 @ 7:59 am Reply

THIS RECIPE SUCKS! THE MARTHA STEWART RECIPE I TRIED BEFORE THIS ONE HAD TO MUCH YEAST IN IT, TASTED LIKE TO MUCH YEAST, AND STILL NEVER ROSE TO THE HEIGHT IT SHOULD HAVE. YOUR RECIPE HAS NOT ENOUGH YEAST. WAS THE AMOUNT IN THE PRINTED RECIPE A TYPO? SHOULD HAVE GONE WITH MY GUT AND ADDED MORE YEAST ON MY OWN. MY YEAST IS FRESH BY THE WAY!!!

Lisa Love — December 13, 2016 @ 5:41 pm Reply

I made this yesterday and it was a great success. My first attempt a couple of years ago resulted in a more cakey affair. I omitted the flavourings and added 1 tsp vanilla essence and 2 tsp Aroma Panetonne Essential Oil from http://www.bakerybits.co.uk When I showed the photo to a work colleague they refused to believe it wasn’t from a shop! I bought the paper cases from the same website too. I converted your quantities to metic as we love our scales in the UK!

Anyway, it tastes amazing, very authentic and the texture is light with a open bread like crumb, A good recipe x

Lin — December 12, 2016 @ 9:32 am Reply

Hi, I tried your recipe and my panettone turned out to be more more bready versus airy and brioche-like. Any idea what could have gone wrong? Still determined to make a good one…help! Thanks.

Cherry Wang — December 11, 2016 @ 7:56 pm Reply

Hi, thank you so much for sharing this recipe, after your many times trial, and this is the exactly one I was looking for. I’ve made it last weekend, and it comes out fabulous, (however, I need to control my oven’s temperature, the bread turned out too dark, I think I can bake less 5 min next time, but very very delicious. I will share with my colleagues and friends this week.
Thank you again. Merry X’mas!

Cherry

Steve — December 5, 2016 @ 9:13 pm Reply

Hi!?
I know your panettone recipe was posted several years ago, but I hope you’ll read this.
I was wondering about Step #3….why add melted butter (basically a liquid) to the fruit before adding to dough? Wouldn’t that be counterproductive to rising? I thought about tossing in just a bit of flour and folding them in.
I really like your recipe, because as you’ve found out, panettone recipes can get quite involved. Your recipe uses all the ingredients the last panettone I made that produced the perfect texture, but with a somewhat simpler technique.
Thanks for posting!

Jessica — November 30, 2016 @ 1:33 am Reply

My step dad used an angel food cake pan for these. It turned out fine, since those pans have little feet to let the angel food cake cool upside down. No awkward skewering needed! We also used all kinds of dried fruits from our local Asian market (cherries, pineapple bits, dates, golden raisins, craisins, whatever else sounded good at the time). This recipe looks great!

Jacqueline — November 21, 2016 @ 9:15 am Reply

Do you think I could make these in mini paper molds? I don’t want to mess with the dough too much but cutting and weighing it. Thanks for the recipe I was looking for a recipe this morning and saw yours first and didn’t need to look anymore. I just LOVE panettone

Adriana — November 16, 2016 @ 9:59 pm Reply

Thank you for this great recipe! Baked it once and loved it, it didn’t even last two full days.
My only issue with it was how “dark” it got. Mine was closer to burnt than dark. In fact all the out areas were over cooked.
I’m wondering if my oven gets too hot? Do you have any advice on how to avoid this?
I’ve thought of covering with tin foil half way through, or perhaps lowering the temperature of the oven to 350?
Any advice would be great!
Thanks

Alice — November 8, 2016 @ 8:57 pm Reply

Do you mean 3 3/4 CUP all-purpose flour?

Jennifer Diaz — October 8, 2016 @ 2:44 pm Reply

Hey I want to try this recipe I live in Miami and it’s very hummide do I still let it rise the time the recipe calls for? What type of yeast do I use?

Miryan — July 16, 2016 @ 11:00 am Reply

Thank you so much for this recipe. I Just woke up to look at my dough in the oven, but it has not risen… Any suggestions to try and “save” the batch? I live near the beach, maybe that’s the problem? Or because my home has a very efficient air filtration system (I heard that yeast actually may need the bacteria from the air, thus me never been successful with sourdough) ?
T

Stephanie Rollings — April 28, 2016 @ 10:49 pm Reply

Hi Michelle, I’m doing a school assignment in year 10 Italian. And we have to choose an authentic Italian recipe linked to an Italian festivity. And so I chose to do Epiphany and La Befana. I’ve seen your recipe, but because it’s an oral presentation. Do you have an easy ways of doing it or advice any site in particular. The oral goes for 5 minutes

Thanks,
Steph

Lisa — April 21, 2016 @ 2:27 pm Reply

This may seem like a silly question (made sillier by the fact that it’s April, I just want to make this now to get it perfect!), but you never say you scrape the vanilla beans out of the pod. Normally recipes are specific about that…so when you add the vanilla bean halves, do you scrape the beans and add them as well? Or do you leave the beans inside the pod and discard the whole thing? Thanks!

Andrea — January 31, 2016 @ 2:28 pm Reply

Perfect recipe. Easy to follow, easy to do. :) Thank you very much.

Jennifer — January 21, 2016 @ 1:30 pm Reply

My brother and I (food scientist and culinary student, respectively) tried for weeks to get a panettone recipe that turned out any good. My mom is half Italian, so we grew up with panettone, but we wanted to make it ourselves, and nothing came close until I tried this recipe. This one is great! I will definitely do it again.

sarah — January 13, 2016 @ 7:29 pm Reply

what is the weight of the eggs that you use?

Ellen — December 25, 2015 @ 6:49 pm Reply

Hi,
The recipe looks great, however I have tried making this twice without success. I’m not sure what is going wrong. They rise fine, but they don’t rise further once in the oven so the panetonne ends up being really dense. I know it’s not the yeast as I’ve bought new yeast and tested it. Thanks for any advice.

Chris — December 20, 2015 @ 8:04 am Reply

I have used your recipe twice now. After reading numerous recipes and watching YouTube clips I was rather nervous about making panetonne. In the end it didn’t turn out to be that hard. Both times for me the dough never doubled (much less tripled) during the rise even though I let it go for longer than suggested. Perhaps it is because we keep our house at 67 degrees in the winter. Eventually I went ahead an put them in the oven and was amazed by the dramatic rise. I imagine that the yeast was building up during the very long resting period. Thanks for the recipe.

Ivana — December 18, 2015 @ 3:26 pm Reply

Hi!
I was looking for perfect panettone recipe and i hope this is the One!
I am from Croatia nd we have different measure system .
3 3/4 all purpose flour? Is that 3 3/4 cups?
Here we can not buy the mold you are using so I need something similar. What are the mesures of the mold (hight and widht)?
Thank you!

rookie confectioner — December 10, 2015 @ 12:28 pm Reply

I choose your recipe to be my first shot. I have heard that panettone is difficult. Anyway, I finished the dough a and I all let rest till tomorrow. My question is that the dough is like a cake dough, if it will at that consistency, tomorrow it won’t be easy to shape it with my hands. Did I do something wrong? Should I add some flour tomorrow? I know the it mustbe before the stove ssticky but not that much….

Tina — December 8, 2015 @ 2:42 am Reply

Hi, thanks for the recepie. I am trying to bake it but have some questions about the amount of some ingredients:
A) 1cup of raisins does not actually “soak” in 4tablespoons of liquid.
B) is 1/4 teaspoon of lemon zest correct? Dried or freshly peeled?
There might have been a typo, I’d appreciate if you could check again. Thanks!

Julia — December 5, 2015 @ 5:58 pm Reply

I have never tasted much less made panettone before but have wanted to– enamored with the King Arthur molds. wow. It looks so pretty and tastes fabulous I was anxious because it seemed like not much yeast. Then when it hadn’t risen by the time I went to bed (in the oven at 7),I was quite sure it would be a bust but glory be this morning it was triple its size. This is a keeper!

Adriana — November 29, 2015 @ 3:56 pm Reply

Hi!
Just finish making the dough, it was super sticky and soft, I cannot touch it without dough sticking to my fingers. Should I mix in more flour? or thats how is supposed to be? Thanks love your blog :)

Maria — November 27, 2015 @ 2:49 pm Reply

So I followed this recipe and it turned out better than expected. However, I noticed while baking it browned very quickly at the temp you suggested and it didn’t rise or crack.

Also, I’m a baking novice.. so how important is the amount of butter used in the recipe? Does that change the consistency at all? For example, I used 8 tablespoons instead of the 10 1/2 suggested and wondering if that had a big effect on the texture.

Helena — November 21, 2015 @ 3:44 am Reply

This recipe looks amazing – I come from a half Italian family and I can’t wait to try this on them this Christmas. Do you by any chance have the gram weights for the ingredients? All the conversion websites are giving me different answers and I don’t want to get it wrong! Thanks.

Patric — October 26, 2015 @ 1:52 pm Reply

Sorry but this is the most and utterly stupid recipe i have ever discovered.
Please remove it or make it understandable!!
30 years in the hospitality business and i know what i am doing, please.
10 tbl spoons of butter. Get real!

The internet is not Not a garbage can!

Patric

CurvyShadows — October 21, 2015 @ 11:21 am Reply

This looks awesome and will try to make it this weekend, but I’d like to make two loaves. Can I just double the recipe or do you suggest making 2 separate batches?

Gianna — July 21, 2015 @ 10:12 pm Reply

Hi Michelle,
I know this recipe is from some years ago, but I baked it a few weeks ago and it was delicious! I was just wondering if you had a secret/tip to making sure your crust stay soft (I can tell by the photo that it’s how it is supposed to be). Every recipe I’ve ever tried has a good centre, but still crusty and bread-like on the outside, and I’m not sure how to fix it!
Thanks :) xx

Piyali — May 11, 2015 @ 8:23 am Reply

I notice nobody who has commented above has actually tried this recipe. Well I just did – and this works perfectly. Just follow the measures to the letter. I live in a tropical country so the heat and humidity may have caused the dough to proof faster , and because I moulds were smaller – I made two pannetones instead of one. Both turned out soft, with a golden crust and yummy

Heather — February 26, 2015 @ 1:15 am Reply

Hi, thank you so much for all those tips on how to make panettone. But the problem that I have with making inferior versions is that they seem to go bad? They go off very quickly, less than 2 days, or in 1 full day. They smell like nail polish. This is when it goes off, right? I don’t really want to risk it happening again, do you know what I could do? Is it because I’m here in Australia and it’s fairly warm? (high 20 degrees celcius).

Ellen — February 17, 2015 @ 2:46 pm Reply

Hi,
I love panettone and have tried this recipe 2x. The first time, it didn’t rise properly and when I reread the recipe I saw that it says to add the active yeast to the flour mixture which you normally don’t do. You can do this with instant yeast however. Is this what you meant? Anyway, I am making it again and added the active yeast to the water to activate it before adding it to the flour mixture. The first rise went well, but after 5 hours, the second rise is not. It has only risen half way up and am still waiting for it to rise further. At this point, I wasn’t sure if I should just keep waiting or not. Is there a max time before I need to cook this?
Thanks for any advice that you can share.

Lori — December 25, 2014 @ 1:27 pm Reply

After reading all the comments, whew, that was a lot! I think there is just not enough yeast! Mine didn’t rise – warm or cold- and turned out good but dense. I’m experienced at bread making so I know what I’m doing. Thanks for sharing this lovely recipe but I would change the yeast or make notes on it in the recipe instead of having to go through all the comments to find this info.
Merry Christmas!

Clarissa — December 24, 2014 @ 10:35 am Reply

Hi Michelle,
I know this is an older thread, but I just wanted to let you know that your post inspired me to make my own panettone for the first time this year. With my first attempt a couple of weeks ago, I cooked the panettone at 370 deg F and the bottom was a little overbrowned. However, I made it again this weekend, and with a lower baking temp of 350 deg F and aluminum foil placed on top after 45 minutes, my panettone came out perfectly. My Italian mother is spending Christmas with me, and she said that this panettone is delicious and looks and tastes “just like panettone ought to”. So, to the negative posters on this thread, I just wanted to say that panettone CAN be made at home and look as beautiful as a purchased one. And I’m not even an experienced baker. Thanks Michelle for your very clear instructions and inspiration!! Merry Christmas 2014!

Kate — December 22, 2014 @ 8:47 am Reply

After 18 hours my dough has not risen at all. I checked the yeast and it is not old. The dough was hanging out in a cool place because I thought “cold oven” meant not warm. Does that phrase actually mean slightly warm? Any suggestions for what to do with this mound of dough? Should I just pop it in the oven and see what happens? Dry yeast is so frustrating. I rarely bake bread because these rise failures are so devastating.

Petra Miller — December 20, 2014 @ 1:24 pm Reply

Hi michelle, I think my original comment got lost- I need help, started my dough right after I started to soak my raisins- now dough is ready but raisins are not- should I just mix anyway?

Katie — December 17, 2014 @ 1:23 pm Reply

Hi, thank you very much for your recipe. I am wondering if you might help me. I’ve had the dough rising in a the cold oven for a little more than 12 hours now and it hasn’t risen much. Was I supposed to proof the active dry yeast before adding it into the dry ingredients? I did change out a few things- cranberries and cognac instead of raisins, and dried cherries instead of candied peel. I also used orange zest instead of lemon zest. Could these changes have messed up the recipe? Any help would be much appreciated!! And, for the record, I’ve made other recipes from your site which have all turned out lovely!

Andrea — December 13, 2014 @ 11:47 pm Reply

Have you every tried doubling or tripling this recipe? I usually make more than 1 at a time with other recipes and am surprised this only makes 1 6″ panettone (it feels more rewarding to have a greater yield if making an epically long recipe).
Thank you for posting this!

Kim — December 13, 2014 @ 8:54 am Reply

It sounds as if none of the respondents have made this. I made it last year after losing my recipe. It is delicious! Like all yeast bread recipes, it is time consuming, but worth the effort. I made several and even tough I did have one that didn’t rise properly, it still tasted wonderful. As my husband’s family is from Italy, we have added this to our holiday baking list. Thank you! (Btw…it looks just like the picture…definitely NOT store bought!)

Leanne — December 11, 2014 @ 2:11 pm Reply

I know this is from last year but I am so happy to find it. I haven’t had time to bake panettone for the last few years but this year I do. I’ve used the recipe from “The Italian Baker” which I love, but I am going to try this one this year. Or maybe get super ambitious and do a batch of each.

And I still use coffee cans which work great.

Brigita — December 11, 2014 @ 8:21 am Reply

Is it possible to use milk instead of water? Many other recipes include milk, I wonder what is the difference in final result?

Anne Kulpa — December 10, 2014 @ 11:13 am Reply

Here in Brazil is quite common, our supermarkets are full of Panettone.

Wendy — December 5, 2014 @ 12:51 am Reply

I’m making this recipe tonight (after searching for candied citron at the store for 15 minutes today!). I wish I had read the comments before making it because I had no idea “tepid water” meant 100 degrees, so I just used room temperature water (because in my head, tepid it meant between cool and warm). Maybe you can put it up in the actual recipe? I’m still going to let it rise until tomorrow morning and see how it goes.

Also, I got quite a bit of dough for the first rise and ‘m worried that if the dough triples, it won’t fit into the mold. Does it get punched down quite a bit in step 5?

Joanne — December 4, 2014 @ 9:35 am Reply

Hi Michelle, I just wanted to clarify something, you baked the panettone in the paper mold only? I was gifted with a metal panettone mold earlier this year (the bottom pushes up) as well as the papers. Do I not need to use the metal mold?

Kistin — November 28, 2014 @ 8:30 am Reply

I am planning to make panettone in the 2″ molds for presents this year. Any suggestions on how to modify the baking time for this?

I tried making one last year and had the same problem as some others. Still gooey but then burnt the top giving it more time. I may try to stick to the baking time and see. Maybe it continues to cook after taking it out of oven.

Leone — November 12, 2014 @ 3:38 pm Reply

good morning Michelle,
well, I have attempted to make this Panettone, but to no avail at all.. it didn’t even rise a little bit – even after about 15 hours. I am in Australia, so my kitchen isn’t cold – I did put it in the oven so that it wasn’t too hot (oven not being on at all). I felt that 1/2 teaspoon of yeast was not enough.. hhmm
Every one else seems to make it work, I will have to give it another go. the dough tasted great – so if/when it rises, it should be delicious.
cheers.

Kristin — September 24, 2014 @ 9:11 pm Reply

I made this for my husband who is obsessed with them. It came out beautiful but I cooked it longer than said because when I tested it middle was still gooey. When it wasn’t any longer it came out too dry. Not sure what went wrong.Maybe it should come out slightly gooey and will continue to cook? I would also suggest a tin foil hat to make sure the top isn’t too crispy. Will try again this year. I may stick to the timing and see if it works.

Kristen G — September 18, 2014 @ 10:07 pm Reply

Have you attempted making smaller versions of the panettone as gifts? I found these on Amazon and would love to make these for my boys’ teachers.
http://www.amazon.com/Kitchen-Supply-Mini-Panettone-Paper/dp/B002JPJ0P0/ref=sr_1_10?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1411090907&sr=1-10&keywords=paper+bakeware

Kitty Quinn — May 24, 2014 @ 5:17 am Reply

Iam in Italy at present where I bought a loaf of “raisin bread” which tastes like pannetone. My question is whether you can bake the above recipe in another shape like the ling somewhat flat loaf I bought? also I noted the brewer’s yeast was one of the ingredients beside the regular dried yeast; does that effect the taste – I mean in a good way? Thanks.

Yuri — April 26, 2014 @ 10:44 am Reply

I beg your pardon! how many grams of flour in one cup.

Yuri — April 26, 2014 @ 5:18 am Reply

Hi Michelle, I live in Europe. Tell me, please, haw many grams of flour in one cup. Thanks in advance.

Ina — April 17, 2014 @ 7:26 am Reply

Hi Michelle, thanks for sharing this beautiful recipe. My dough has reached the 12 hours rise limit now…and I have to proceed with the next step, but I have difficulties in understanding what comes next. In the initial schedule there was mentioned a second rise and baking – after 12 hours:
“Overnight: Rise 12-15 hours
Day 2 AM: Second rise
Day 2 PM: Bake”.
However, in the directions you say that after the second rise to place the dough in the molds for another 3-5 hours. Could you please clarify this? Thanks in advance.

Alice — February 1, 2014 @ 9:30 am Reply

You didn’t mention anything about lining the pan before putting the dough, but I see that your finished Panettone was lined with what looked like a brown wax paper. Where can I get that liner? Thanks.

This looks great. I’ve never made my own panettone (I’m SUCH a bad Italian) but this looks fairly easy and will give it a go. Meanwhile, I write a blog post about panettone and family memories of it. Enjoy! http://ambradambra.wordpress.com/2014/01/05/panettone-the-fruitcake-that-keeps-on-giving/

Becky — January 8, 2014 @ 1:35 pm Reply

Love, love, love panettone. Even mass produced panettone. But I have made my own and it is a labor of love. You can also purchase molds from your local bakery if they use these type of papers. The finished product is so festive looking! I have also bought and eaten it in Italy. In can be quite expensive in good bakeries! Bravo to you for posting this lovely bread!

Jefferson — December 26, 2013 @ 6:02 pm Reply

I just pulled my second panettone out of the oven and it is beautiful. I baked it at 350(F) for about 55 minutes. The first one seemed to bake too fast and the bottom burned a bit when I left it in for the full 60 minutes. I think the last pat of chilled butter in the middle was making the stick look wet when I checked it, so I lowered the temperature and checked points away from the center. Could be just difference in individual ovens. Beautiful bread. Thank you for the recipe!

Jefferson — December 25, 2013 @ 1:03 am Reply

I finished baking mine today, though I won’t eat it until tomorrow. It looks and smells delicious. I only had a couple of hiccups. My small town grocer didn’t have any candied citron or orange peels (they did until recently), so I candied my own. I’m baking a second tomorrow, and I candied the orange peels again today, but this time I added nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon to the sugar syrup, and they are FANTASTIC. The only other thing was timing for the yeast to rise. I waited the full 15 hours before moving it out of the bowl, and the full 5 hours again after putting it in the mold, the last two of which were spent on the stove in between burners set on low. There was almost no rising the first three hours of the last “sitting” session, but being in warmer air seemed to do the trick. I look forward to tasting and making another tomorrow!

Carolyn Mustopa — December 24, 2013 @ 10:18 am Reply

Thanks so much for this recipe! I made it for my family this weekend and it was a a big hit — even though I overbaked it a little. The molds I got locally were a slightly different size, so mine didn’t rise over the top, but just about to the top, which was fine. Also, instead of putting the vanilla bean into the dough, I used sugar that had been sitting with a vanilla bean in it for months. Everyone loved it. Thanks again!

Sharon — December 24, 2013 @ 8:50 am Reply

I loved this recipe! Made it over the past 2 days and cut into it early yesterday while making meatballs and marinara for the family tonight. Loved everything about it. I adore the fiori de Sicila flavor from KA so used that instead of vanilla. It is definitely my go to recipe now each year for this beloved holiday favorite. Thank you and merry Christmas! Your recipes are ALL amazing!

rina — December 23, 2013 @ 1:18 pm Reply

Made this over the weekend and it turned out great. My family isn’t a big fan of store bought panetonne, but they loved this so thank you. Those naysayers have absolutely no idea what they’re talking about. Happy holidays!

Al — December 22, 2013 @ 6:48 pm Reply

Just made this recipe and what a hit. Everyone could not believe the taste. It could of raised a bit more(similar issue with some of the others) but in general a success. This is a keeper. Thank-you for the post.

Michelle M. — December 22, 2013 @ 6:22 pm Reply

Hi Michelle… just made the panettone today and it turned out great! The vanilla bean really helped bring all the flavors together. I was so excited that I cut it a bit too early (it was still warm). Making another one in a few days, and I will be sure to have it cool completely! Thank you for the recipe!

Sandra — December 21, 2013 @ 3:40 pm Reply

My pannetone hasn’t risen after 15 hours. Was I supposed to cover the pannatone itself with plastic wrap or the bowl? Was I supposed to activate the dry yeast?

Jeanette J — December 19, 2013 @ 9:33 pm Reply

As a first time reader of your blog – thank you for posting this recipe. A friend forwarded it to me (he made it as well and highly recommended it – he had great success and his looks like yours – very professional, and he barely cooks!) I literally ran out and got the molds and the ingredients – fortunately here in Montreal there’s a great Italian grocery where I can get everything I need for this – and mine has turned out brilliantly as well. I say take it as a major compliment if anyone doubts you made yours. That’s what I’m doing with the “What? You sure you made that?!” compliments I’m getting :) I’m going to make another one and put my own fancy “store label” on it and spring it on the family on the 25th. Ha ha! Merry Christmas!

Rosanne — December 19, 2013 @ 2:39 pm Reply

Hello everyone, I am in the process of doing this. Will start preparing the dough soon. Can someone please tell me what I should do with the 1 tbsp chilled butter? Thanks

Denise P. — December 18, 2013 @ 5:17 pm Reply

My second attempt at making this was successful. I have to say it looks a lot like this one that Michelle made, except mine came out a bit darker.

Michelle, your panettone looks fabulous! It takes some work, but is so worth the effort. And thanks so much for linking to my post about it. Happy holidays!

Leticia — December 16, 2013 @ 9:24 pm Reply

I just LOVE panettone. Here in Brazil we have a lot of panettone’s brand, and even a more delicious bread: Chocottone (With melted chocolate chips).
Love to see how this tradition goes everywhere

Margaret L. — December 16, 2013 @ 12:35 pm Reply

This may be rather juvenile of me, but…I did laugh out loud on reading the critical & rude comments of some of the others – so ridiculous! Thanks for publishing them, & PLEASE don’t let them affect your day in a negative manner. The laughter at their stupidity has helped me feel better in spite of our “Great” weather (I live in “Winterpeg”, Manitoba).

I was Googling to find a recipe for panettone, and am overjoyed to find this. I have experimented with bread making for over 60 years (I started young!) and have found that bread recipes are very forgiving if you know the basic principles of what the dough needs/wants and what it doesn’t. If it doesn’t turn out the way I intended, I use the result in another recipe. If the recipe turns out a total disaster (e.g. my first attempt at sourdough pancakes!) my little doggie is always eager to help me eat the results! Then, I try again until I get it right – and I decide what I mean by right!!!
So, keep smiling – baking is creative FUN.

Denise P. — December 16, 2013 @ 11:24 am Reply

I followed this recipe to the letter, and it did not rise at all. Not sure where I went wrong.

Beth B — December 15, 2013 @ 8:20 pm Reply

Okay question…
I am notoriously bad at not reading recipes all the way through before starting. My raisins are soaking up all that delicious rum and I’m looking at the rest of the recipe. Just 1/2 teaspoon yeast? That seems really low!

antonella — December 15, 2013 @ 7:07 pm Reply

Maybe she will post the photos of baking in progress when she bakes the
Pandoro, I hear it’s much easier to bake then the Panettone…:):)

Petra — December 15, 2013 @ 5:01 pm Reply

What a shame that you didn’t do photos of baking in progress as well – ‘in your own kitchen’ :)

Sharon Hansen — December 14, 2013 @ 2:05 pm Reply

My husbands family is half Italian. His mom doesn’t really enjoy baking if memory serves me right. I do. I’m going to make this for Christmas and surprise them. Should be fun! I love trying new things.

It really looks delicious. The kind of soft dough that bounces back when you touch it, not too sweet but very fragrant. Though I’m not a fan on candied oranges. Being Italian I understand why some people have a hard time believing you made it at home, but that’s probably because we’re surrounded by professional bakers telling us that it’s impossible to do it at home without the proper equipment. I have been following your blog for a long time and know of your amazing skills in the kitchen. I’ll be waiting for you to make Pandoro next ;)

Effie — December 14, 2013 @ 5:05 am Reply

It’s so beautiful! I will definitely try this before Christmas ^^

Michelle–talk about perfect timing! I went to Mario Batali’s new Italian emporium “Eataly” in Chicago last week with Italian restaurants galore and every imaginable Italian food product for sale, both fresh and packaged. When I saw that they were selling a package of panettone for slightly over $30 (yikes!), I decided I needed to look for a recipe. Before I had a chance, here you’ve done the legwork for me! I must say that is one spectacularly beautiful loaf–you’ve outdone yourself! Hope I can measure up. :-)

Debbie L — December 13, 2013 @ 9:43 am Reply

Cheers to the browneyedbaker! There is nothing she won’t try! I love your recipes. I read your blog each and every morning.

DeLynn — December 12, 2013 @ 6:23 pm Reply

I had some Panettone for the first time last night and it is very yummy! This morning I sliced it into somewhat thick slices and made french toast with it for my boyfriend. talk about YUMMY!!!

Jane — December 12, 2013 @ 3:21 pm Reply

I have been following your blog for years and am astounded at the repeated comments from people saying they doubt you made this bread yourself. I get it, panettone is fussy and hard for casual bakers to get right. But you’re beyond the “casual baker” in terms of skill and experience, and you were honest about previous attempts that didn’t work out. Your recipes and photos are so consistently good that I would be far more surprised by a bad panettone than a good one.

Liz — December 12, 2013 @ 11:21 am Reply

Well done for having persevered and made the genuine article Panettone! I was in the mood last Christmas to make one but when I discovered it took around two days and that double rising business, I made a cheats version but I have to say it wasn’t the same thing. I am away in the UK, from my adopted home Malta this Xmas so won’t be trying it but will bookmark your recipe. We get inundated with panettone here as we’re neighbours to Italy and share the same cuisine. They are soooo cheap, it does take some effort to want to make one, but nothing like a challenge, heh? Two years ago, we stayed a few days in mid December right by one of Rome’s most famed bakeries – Roscioli. Through our flatlet wall, we were woken at 2am by the bread machines whirring. They were churning out the most amazing Panettone by the hundreds. At an expense I have to say! But we could smell it wafting in to our room. Amazing experience and gives me fond memories of the ur-alt, Panettone Roman style!

Hi, Michelle! Thanks for such a fantastic recipe. Although panettone is a tradition in my home country, I confess that I’ve never made one. I always buy it but since I have a trustworthy recipe from your blog, I can finally make my own panettone. I usually use it to prepare other dishes such as my recent upside-down panettone French toast. Wishing you a very Merry Christmas!

Dina — December 12, 2013 @ 7:39 am Reply

what a beautiful panettone!

Maria — December 11, 2013 @ 10:59 pm Reply

I bet this is fantastic if it’s a Jim Lahey recipe. I use his pizza dough that rises for 18 hours and has the BEST taste and texture of the dozen or so pizza dough recipes I’ve tried.

joan — December 11, 2013 @ 10:37 pm Reply

am Italian and a panettone fanatic! glad you discovered it

Rose — December 11, 2013 @ 8:18 pm Reply

I must agree with Lucia, this is not home made. It’s not easy to make panettone…as a born and raised Italian married to a Milanese (Panettone Motta, Milano LOL) I know panettone.

Lucia Gentile — December 11, 2013 @ 6:47 pm Reply

I find it hard to believe that the picture you posted is your finished product.
I have bought panettone for the past 50 years and I can assure you that this
looks very much like the Motta panettone. It would be nice to see your
finished product.

Martha in KS — December 11, 2013 @ 6:44 pm Reply

You mean people actually MAKE their own panettone? You continue to amaze me. I just bought two loaves at World Market – I love it for french toast. It lasts a long time.

I’m not a lover of Panetonne, but I suspect it’s because I’ve only ever had the store bought; there’s just something not right to me about a bread that can last for months. I have a feeling that this Panetonne will convert me to a Panetonne lover!

Agos — December 11, 2013 @ 4:13 pm Reply

Panettone is a staple here in Argentina :) We call it pan dulce and flavor it with orange blossom water. I’ve made it a few times, though I’ve never done the hanging upside down part! I’ve seen it on some recipes on the internet though, but it doesn’t make much sense to me. Why would the bread collapse as it cools?
Oh and my the way, you should try adding nuts!

Your panettone turned out fabulous! I absolutely love panettone this time of year and must admit that it is always something that I always buy but never really thought of making. I must give this a try sometime soon!

Hi Michelle… I’m sitting here reading this, drinking my macchiato and wishing I could tear off a large slab to enjoy with my coffee. Love that you did so much research! I have not yet made panettone, but it’s on the list, so I’m booking marking your recipe. Pinned too! Season’s eatings to you. xo

ariana — December 11, 2013 @ 1:24 pm Reply

Thanks Michelle for posting this. I too have tried to make this in the past, with no luck. I have 2 questions. Do you know what internal temp this should be, when fully baked? Also, sometimes my dough rises faster than the recommended rising time. Should I move on to the next step, or wait? Ive never known if “over rising” causes a problem. Thank you! Buon natale!

Petra — December 11, 2013 @ 1:17 pm Reply

Are you sure you baked this?? Looks absolutely store-bought!?!?

derek — December 11, 2013 @ 12:42 pm Reply

Absolutely love your site.. Plus I get tons of bonus points from my wife every time I make one of your recipes!! This bread looks amazing, definitely be making it soon.

annie — December 11, 2013 @ 11:44 am Reply

Wow Michelle, your panettone looks so professional. We’re lucky that where I live in Canada, we are able to get these at every grocery and specialty store around.They have different flavors, like lemon, chocolate, pandoro,and many more. That is quite an undertaking, comgratulations.

Rosene S — December 11, 2013 @ 11:03 am Reply

Looks so good. I have only tried the store bought kind

Karen — December 11, 2013 @ 10:50 am Reply

Last comment by me, not “rina”. I wondered who rina was but I am easily distracted!

SO exciting to see the results after seeing it hanging around on your IG! Makes me wonder how your grandma cooled hers if she made them in cans? Propped upsidedown?
Well it always has looked beautiful to me so now I know all the time and love that goes into it!

Can I just tell you that when I saw this I thought I would cry. I know silly but here is why, my husband is from Italy and every year we look all over for panettone, we buy it, we eat it, we enjoy it. The best years is when my mother in law actually ships us some from Italy. But to think that I could make this for him and he might feel a little bit of home on holidays when he is away from home makes me want to run and find all of these ingredients immediately. Thank you so much for making this!! I think it would be the best gift for him.

Diane W. — December 11, 2013 @ 10:30 am Reply

If you end up or make extras, Barefoot Contessa has a recipe for a Panettone bread pudding that always looked amazing.

rina — December 11, 2013 @ 10:27 am Reply

I love beautiful special traditional breads at Christmas. They are beautiful to look at and the taste of something that is not peppermint, chocolate, nutty, or candy in taste and texture is so much more delightful and comforting. My Norwegian grandmother and mother made julekake every season. Eating at room temperature or toasted with butter was so good. I just wanted to keep smelling the bottle of real cardamon and wish I could have it everyday. The pleasant activity of making these breads is worth every minute of time!

Pennie D. — December 11, 2013 @ 10:20 am Reply

I have always wanted to make Panettone but I was always scared that the recipe would be bad, so I never tried it. I am going to try this one. It looks so amazing and delicious. Look out King Arthur Flour.

Fantastic pictures! I have wanted to try making this for sometime! I have had the fiori di sicilia flavoring in my fridge for over a year! And I love that you’re making it a new tradition for you and your consultant!!

Kathy — December 11, 2013 @ 10:06 am Reply

Sounds delish, but I have a problem. There is no way I can make something with raisins and have certain people in my house eat it. Any ideas for what can sub for the raisins. I know that it will no longer be authentic, but I would love to cook a “version” of the bread. Thanks.

Claudia — December 11, 2013 @ 10:02 am Reply

Panettone is delish. Haven’t made it yet. Thanks for the info on where to purchase the molds.

Jennifer — December 11, 2013 @ 9:41 am Reply

I adore panettone! There’s a bakery on the Wharf in San Francisco that makes it year-round, and I always pick some up when I’m there.

Andrea — December 11, 2013 @ 9:39 am Reply

I’m so glad you posted this! I’ve had Pannetone every year at Christmastime, but never homemade. The store-bought ones really vary in quality and freshness. This is going on my must-try list!

Here in the deep South we don’t see too much of this bread but I had noticed it few years ago around this time of year at our Publix. I certainly hope it is as good as it looks because it does seem very labor intensive!
Merry Christmas!

Nancy Long — December 11, 2013 @ 9:01 am Reply

have always wanted to try making it, but is there any other type pan you can use? Just really don’t have the storage space for another speciality pan, thanks.

Beth B — December 11, 2013 @ 8:29 am Reply

I’ve tried quite a few times to make panettone and have had no success and some of the other recipes I’ve found are soooo labor intensive. This one definitely looks doable and I still have a few molds left so here goes nothing! Thanks :)

nancy K — December 11, 2013 @ 8:14 am Reply

I love panettone. It is, by far, my very favorite sweet bread. I never have attempted to make it but I will now. When I was teaching kindergarten, I would read the book “Tony’s Bread” by prolific childrens’ author,Tomie dePaola. Tomie put his spin on the history of the bread in a humorous and fun way. After reading and discussing the story, I would share a loaf of the bread with the class. The following is the summary of the book from Amazon:
How did panettone , the rich Italian Christmas bread, get its name? With tongue firmly in cheek, dePaola provides this confection as a reply. Chubby Serafina, the baker Antonio’s daughter, spends her days eating candy and weeping by the window. For although her father adores her and gives her the best of everything, Tony is convinced there is no man worthy of her. Then Angelo, a wealthy nobleman, falls in love with Serafina and enlists the help of three meddlesome “aunties” to win her father’s approval. In return for Serafina’s hand in marriage, Angelo sets Tony up in his own bakery in Milano, where he becomes wonderfully rich and famous from sales of an unusually shaped bread: pan di Tonio , or panettone . The tale is a typically charming dePaolian effort, and the illustrations abound with his trademark coziness. Another nice touch: like Tony’s currant-filled buns, the story is sprinkled with Italian words and phrases, translations of which are cleverly woven into the text. Ages 4-8.

I have yet to make panettone, i have always been intimated by it size and fruit soaking. Stale panettone makes the best TRIFLE CAKE! I really hope you try it

McKenzie — December 11, 2013 @ 7:32 am Reply

Panettone bread pudding recipe, please! My sister-in-law made some last Christmas, and it was heavenly!

Lori — December 11, 2013 @ 7:32 am Reply

Michelle, your Panetonne looks beautiful and I bet it tastes even better! I am half German and my Great-grandfather was from the black forest region of Germany and owned a bakery. I make his stollen recipe every year at Christmas, It is a big hit with my MIL and BIL. It wouldn’t be Christmas to me until the Springerles and Stollen are made.

I just had Panettone bread for the first time yesterday and i loved it! Then today you post this recipe! I guess it was meant to be! I have to make this, this weekend! Thank you so much for sharing!

Dawn DeRosa — December 11, 2013 @ 6:58 am Reply

That is beautiful! Can’t wait to try it. This is a traditional Italian gift, along with a bottle of vino. By the end of the holiday, we end up with a month’s worth of pannettone. Can this be made with chocolate chips? The grown ups love the citrone, but the kids always run for the chocolate version. Your recipes always are from the heart, encompassing our Italian famiglia traditions. Love it!

Penny — December 11, 2013 @ 6:34 am Reply

I bet your Grandma was right there with you as you made it. :)

Aimee — December 11, 2013 @ 3:28 am Reply

OMG I love panettone. God I can’t wait for Christmas now :)

I LOVE Panettone Bread at Xmas time, but I have never thought of making it myself! I always thought it would be too difficult, but I think I could definitely manage it! Thank you for inspiring :) My grandmother had the BEST Christmas pudding of all time that she got off a friend and tweaked a little for her own tastes. Thinking I should post it up and share the love this Christmas!

Thanks again :)

What a gorgeous finished loaf but sounds like quite the nightmare to get there….jungle juice and candles, whoa, that says it all :) Looks like it was worth it though based on that amazing fluffy texture!

Wow it’s beautiful! Gonna have to give it a try. :)

Gry — December 11, 2013 @ 12:23 am Reply

In Switzerland we get Panettone everywhere, but I’ve never tried to make it myself. I’m Norwegian, so we make our “own” version, called julebrød, which is basically a sweet bread dough with raisins and sometimes candied fruits.
I might try this recipe to compare.