Classic Panettone: The Traditional Italian Christmas Cake
The Italian Christmas Cake may take some time to make, but it's texture and taste will make you want to make more than one this Christmas.
Servings 1 panettone
Calories 6831kcal
Equipment
- 1 Stand Mixer
- 1 Panettone Mold
Ingredients
First Dough
- 400 g white flour
- 100 g active yeast
- 120 g sugar
- 100 g butter
- 140 g water room temperature
- 120 g egg yolks
Second Dough
- 100 g white flour
- 300 g egg yolks
- 100 g sugar
- 25 g honey
- 150 g butter
- 200 g chocolate chips
- 200 g chopped hazelnuts
Instructions
First Dough
- Put the flour, sugar and water into a bowl of a stand mixer. Water needs to be room temperature.
- Mix for about 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, add the softened butter, yeast and egg yolks and continue mixing.
- Mix until the dough is very shiny and smooth (about 10 minutes). Usually the overall mixing of the first dough is not longer than 25 minutes.
- Transfer the bowl with the dough into a warm place and let the dough rise for about 10 - 12 hours.
Second Dough
- Transfer the risen dough into a large bowl of a stand mixer.
- Start mixing and add the sugar and flour with half of the amount of the egg yolks. This takes about 10 minutes.
- Once the dough is homologous and smooth, add the honey and some more egg yolks. This takes another 10 minutes.
- Once the dough has again smoothened, add the softened butter, rest of the egg yolks and water. Make sure to add water little by little to control the texture of the dough. This takes again about 10 minutes.
- Add the chocolate chips and hazelnuts to the dough and mix for a few minutes until fully assembled.
- The total mixing time for the second dough is about 30 - 35 minutes.
Forming The Panettone
- Transfer the dough to a bowl.
- Leave to rise in a warm place for about an hour.
- Take out of the bowl, form and place into a panettone mold.
- Leave to rise for about 6 hours in a warm place.
Baking
- Heat the oven to 175 degrees Celsius / 340 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Bake the panettone for about 50 minutes.
Cooling
- For the best possible taste and fluffy texture the panettone should be left to cool down upside down for 12 - 14 hours. This is best done by putting metal skewers through the panettone and then leaving it upside down with something to support the end of the skewers.
Notes
Italian Sweet Bread Baking Tips
- The traditional panettone pan can be a metal mold or it can be a paper mold. You can usually find them in patisserie stores. If you can't find one you can make your own out of hard paper. Make sure it is very tight because if not, the dough will go right through it when it rises.
- Do not open the oven while baking the Italian Christmas cake. The panettone needs the steam from the oven and you don't want to let it out by opening the oven.
Nutrition
Calories: 6831kcal | Carbohydrates: 852g | Protein: 197g | Fat: 312g | Saturated Fat: 91g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 36g | Monounsaturated Fat: 147g | Cholesterol: 4564mg | Sodium: 535mg | Potassium: 4234mg | Fiber: 60g | Sugar: 379g | Vitamin A: 6509IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 1313mg | Iron: 47mg