Tall and domed-shaped, panettone, a soft, sweet yeast cake with a fruity tang of raisins and candied orange peel is always part of an Italian holiday table. Panettone making follows an extraordinarily elaborate and time-consuming process, taking almost two days. The natural yeast dough is left to rise several times with the final additions of extra flour, eggs, butter, sugar, and candied fruit added in stages. Once the dough is ready, it is put into individual special panettone paper baking cups, allowed to rise again, then baked and cooled. Once cool it is wrapped in plastic, packed up by hand, and sent around the world.
Italy takes its food very seriously and maintains strict industry standards for panettone, which the European Union awarded geographically protected DOP (Denominazione di Origine Protetta) status. To qualify as authentic, panettone makers must follow a definitive checklist in accordance with its D.O.P. status. Ingredients must be region-specific and the very best used. For example, not only is the quality of the butter mandated, but a guaranteed amount to be used is specified. There are required quantities of eggs and raisins too and the dough is only allowed to contain natural yeast. All this and a manufacturing process that takes a minimum of 40 hours for a single cake. Rigorous, yes, but the result is exquisite!
Panettone imported from Italy, is available beginning in the fall at many supermarkets. Available in standard 1 and 2-pound sizes, panettone also comes in handy single-sized portions.
Panettone: History
Panettone has spawned many legends. The most popular concerns a young Milanese nobleman, a member of the Atellini family, who fell in love with the daughter of a baker named Toni. To impress the girl's father, the young man disguised himself as a baker's assistant and invented a new, fruitcake-like bread. People came to the bakery in droves to purchase the magnificent new creation dubbed Pan de Toni, "Tony's bread." A variation of the legend has Toni saving the day by inventing the bread as a quick replacement for a dessert that had burned while being prepared for a Christmas feast held by the Duke of Milan, Ludovico Sforza.
Panettone: Variations and Uses
Nowadays, panettone is sold in many varieties, with chocolate, apricot, candied lemon, citron or pistachios substituting for the raisins and candied orange peel. There are varieties of panettone that are sold covered with chocolate, marzipan and more.
Panettone is traditionally served plain, accompanied by a glass of sparkling wine like Prosecco Superiore CV or Asti Spumante. But Italians also dress it up by serving it with pistachio or almond creams or mascarpone cheese whipped with sweet liqueur. Panettone has zero preservatives, but thanks to the natural yeast, stays fresh for months so it’s common for Italians to keep several boxes of panettone to enjoy well into the Spring as it makes a great base for many delicious treats including bread pudding and French toast. One of my favorite ways to serve panettone is drenched in rum syrup, making a sort of instant baba cake.
Panettone Gastronomico
While traditional sweet panettone dates back to at least the 15th century, a version without sugar or dried fruit, was invented in the 1970s. Called panettone gastronomico in northern Italy and pan canasta in the Naples area, this savory panettone has become very popular in the last few years and is now served as an aperitif during the holidays and on other special occasions.
Gastronomic panettone can be bought ready-made, but it can also be baked at home in a special panettone mold. To serve it, Panettone gastronomico is sliced horizontally with each layer spread with something different. Fillings can be virtually anything: cold cuts, fish, roasted vegetables or cheeses. For example, a seafood themed savory panettone might include a layer of caviar spread with butter; another layer with chopped aromatic herbs and smoked salmon and one with fresh tuna minced with capers. A meat-themed panettone gastronomico might be made with one layer of thinly sliced prosciutto, another of bresaola and another of sliced salami. There are countless ways to fill it and to decorate the platter. Panettone gastronomico is a real showstopper and a gorgeous addition to any holiday party.