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Italian Panettone Made Easy - Christmas Sweet Bread
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Italian Panettone Made Easy – Christmas Sweet Bread

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Panettone is the king of bread. Homemade panettone can seem like an impossible task, but I will show you how to get the perfect result with some simple ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry.
This is a simplified version of the classic panettone that requires less work and gives you the perfect result.

This recipe is broken into three sections for clarity: *the Biga (Starter), the First Dough, and the Second Dough.*
I recommend that you prepare all the ingredients for each step before you start, as this will save you time and ensure that you don’t miss anything.

============= *Section 1: Biga (Starter)* =============

*Ingredients:*

* Bread flour*: ½ cup (60g)
* Fresh yeast: 1 ½ tsp. (6g) (or dry yeast: 1 tsp. / 3g)
* Water: 2 tbsp. (30ml)

** Note: I recommend strong flour with at least 13% protein content for all the steps.

*Steps:*

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and knead into a firm dough.
2. Tear into small pieces and let ferment, covered, for 3–4 hours until bubbly and active. It will have an acid smell, that’s a good sign.

============= *Section 2: First Dough* =============

*Ingredients:*

* Bread flour*: 1 ½ cups (200g)
* Water: ½ cup (120ml)
* Sugar: 4 tbsp. (50g)
* Egg yolks: 3
* Softened butter: ¼ cup (50g)

For the aromatic mix (needed for the next step):
* Soaked raisins: ⅔ cup (100g)
* Zest of 1 orange and 1 lemon (organic)
* Honey: 1 tbsp. (20g)

*Steps:*

1. Place the *biga* pieces in a mixing bowl.
2. Add *water* and *bread flour,* and mix until the dough clumps together.
3. Gradually mix in *2 egg yolks,* one at a time, until fully incorporated.
4. Remove dough from the hook, then mix in *1 more egg yolk,* kneading for at least 15 minutes.
5. Add the *sugar,* then knead for 10 minutes until *smooth and shiny.* It is crucial to develop the gluten structure before adding the butter.
6. Incorporate *half the butter,* mix until smooth, then repeat with the *remaining butter.*
7. Mix for 5 minutes, then perform a windowpane test to check elasticity.
8. Cover and let sit at room temperature for *12 hours*. The dough should quadruplicate in size.

9. Soak the *raisins* in water (or orange juice, if preferred), let them soak overnight.
11. Grate the *orange and lemon zest.*
10. Mix the *honey* and *citrus zest* together. Let sit overnight to infuse flavors.

============= *Section 3: Second Dough (the next morning)* =============

*Ingredients:*

* Egg yolks: 2
* Salt: ½ tsp. (3g)
* Bread flour*: 2 tbsp. (30g)
* Sugar: 4 tbsp. (50g)
* Softened butter: ⅓ cup (80g)
* Optional: Candied orange peel: ⅓ cup (50g)
* Citrus zest mixture we prepared at the previous step
* Soaked raisins prepared at the previous step

*Steps:*

1. Deflate the risen dough and scrape from the sides.
2. Add *egg yolks* and *salt,* then mix for 5 minutes.
3. Add the *bread flour* and knead for 10 minutes.
4. Mix in *sugar,* then incorporate the honey and *citrus zest mixture.*
5. Add *half the butter,* mix briefly, then add the *rest* and knead for 5 minutes. Perform a windowpane test again.
6. Fold in *soaked raisins* and optional *candied orange peel* by hand or in the mixer for a few seconds.

============= *Shaping and Baking* =============

1. Let the dough rest for 1.5 hours in a warm place. It will not rise much.
2. Grease work surface with vegetable oil or butter, transfer the dough.
3. Lift the dough from the center and fold it over itself, then rotate 90 degrees and repeat a couple of times.
4. Tuck the dough into a tight ball.
5. Repeat 3 and 4 two more times at 30-minute intervals.
6. After the third fold, place the dough in a *1 kg paper panettone mold* (7″ (18 cm) in diameter and 4.5″ (11.5 cm) in height). *Link below.*
7. Let rise until the dough reaches 1″ (2 cm) from the mold’s edge.
8. Score the top with two cuts, and place a small piece of butter in the center.
9. Bake at 300°F (150°C) for 55 minutes in a convection oven, or 320°F (160°C) for conventional ovens.
10. Immediately pierce the sides with skewers and cool upside down to preserve structure. Keep the panettone in the mold until completely cool, best overnight.

Get your panettone molds here: https://amzn.to/3VLgLSg

Let the panettone rest for a week inside an airtight food grade plastic bag to develop the best flavor, or enjoy it immediately and savor the results of your hard work!
Enjoy your homemade panettone!

Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

#panettone #christmas #foodlanguage #recipe

37 Comments

  1. @Food-Language

    Homemade panettone can seem like an impossible task, but I will show you how to get the perfect result with some simple ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry. This is a simplified version of the classic panettone that requires less work and gives you the perfect result. Grab your apron and let's get baking!
    Detailed step-by-step instructions with ingredient checklist in the description. If you plan on making panettone, it will help you organize the process.

  5. @Nikofen-r7k

    Hello, love your video. It looks so soft and yummy❤❤! Is it possible to knead by hand? If yes could you help to share how .Thank you😊

  6. @GiuseppaMorano

    Buongiorno,le volevo chiedere se si può sostituire la biga con il lievito madre,se si quanto lievito madre si deve mettere, grazie buona giornata

  7. @islandgirl54-o3o

    Looks great. Im using instant yeast with the water. Shoukd i add sugar to bloom( froth up for 10 min.?Then add to the flour and then follow rest of recipe? Thx from Canada

  9. @maricarmen3692

    El agua en todos los paso debe estar templada? Las masas cuando tienen que levar . Tienen que ser a temperatura ambiente ?

  10. @teresaalvarez2972

    Hola.!!! 🖐Soy Teresa, te escribo desde el Principado de Andorra.
    Me encanta el panettone y tu vídeo me gusto mucho. Lo voy hacer para estas navidades.
    Gracias por la receta.🙏🙏❤️

  15. @GiuseppaMorano

    Buon pomeriggio, grazie per la risposta, sempre molto chiara nella spiegazione della ricetta,un abbraccio anche a lei, buona domenica

  18. @Theexplorer-nw4sw

    My first attempt the same time as yours but my 1st and 2nd dough was not as elastic. They became more elastic and proofed very quickly. But after baking, hanging upside down, and cutting the end result was dense. It tastes very nice. Do you think I should have let the proofing longer and in the fridge?

  26. @saskiamedeirosnickel4523

    Awesome recipe and very nice step by step! I'm doing the recipe with 11% protein flour and my 1st and 2nd dough got very elastic, but kind of soft and without structure. What could be the cause of that? The type of flour or not enough mixing? Should I just add a bit more flour?

  28. @Lorenzo-ke2vr

    Ciao! Pensi sia necessario usare la K o è possibile usare altri attacchi (tipo il gancio)? Perchè sembra sforzare tanto con la pala così larga. Grazie mille, ottimo video!

  32. @adaveschi1068

    Allora prima di chiedere di scriverti che ti vieni a spiegare come si fa il panettone a una persona come fa a capire con tutto sto casino tutti fanno le ricette dei panettoni ma nessuno da la ricetta giusta gli ingredienti non sono messi in fila esatti tutti dovete mettere gli ingredienti in fila da come si deve partire io o notato che non sono nel secondo impasto ceadiritura ianditi con Lara ciò e poi saltano ilburro l'uovo dovete metterli in fila indiano e non saltare da un ingrediente a l'altro

  33. @Melinha55

    Hello, unfortunately, my panetone was a total disaster. I followed your recipe to the letter. I used 14,1 % protein flour. Everything was OK. I did the window pane test on the dough twice, and it was perfect. The problem started when I had to start kneading. The dough lost all its structure and became too wet. I tried really hard to knead it so that I could get more structure but nothing. Any way, I decided to bake it. After hours of trying to rise, again, nothing. I baked it and its size was half of what it should be, having collapsed and the end result was like bread…. So much work, so time consuming, for nothing. Really sad 😟

  35. @Melinha55

    Thank you for your reply. Everything went bad after I took the dough from the stand mixer. I could never have the texture to shape it. It was almost liquid.

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