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Panettone is the soft, buttery Italian Christmas bread studded with sweet raisins and candied orange, and making it from scratch fills the whole house with the coziest holiday smell. I make a loaf every December and the girls fight over the tender, fluffy slices toasted with butter on Christmas morning. Serve it with a homemade gingerbread latte for the dreamiest holiday breakfast.
With a light, airy crumb and pockets of sweet dried fruit, this homemade panettone is far easier than the bakery version and so worth the little bit of patience.
Panettone Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 30 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 50 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 3 hours
- 🍽️ Serving: 12 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 257kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Soft, buttery, and lightly sweet with raisins and candied orange
- ✋ Difficulty: Intermediate, a fun holiday bake on par with our Christmas tree pull apart bread
Quick Answer
To make homemade panettone, bloom yeast in warm milk with sugar, then mix in eggs and flour to form a soft dough and let it rise until doubled. Knead in softened butter until the dough is smooth and elastic, then fold in raisins and candied orange. Shape the dough, proof it in a tall cake pan until risen, score a cross on top, and bake until golden and a skewer comes out clean.
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Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- A double rise builds the airy crumb. Letting the dough rise twice, once before shaping and once in the pan, is what gives panettone its signature tall, light, and fluffy texture.
- Kneading in the butter separately keeps it tender. Working the softened butter in after the first rise creates an incredibly soft, rich dough without weighing it down.
- Candied orange and raisins make it festive. The sweet dried fruit is the classic panettone flavor and adds little bursts of sweetness in every slice.
- A tall pan gives it the iconic shape. Lining a cake pan with extra tall parchment lets the dough rise up and over for that classic domed panettone look.
- Scoring the top helps it bake evenly. Cutting a cross in the top before baking lets the bread expand beautifully and bake through to a golden, even crust.
- It is a make ahead holiday showstopper. Panettone keeps well and even tastes better the next day, so it is a perfect bake to make ahead for Christmas morning.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It is soft, buttery, and bakery worthy, with a tall, fluffy crumb that puts the boxed version to shame.
- It is a festive, impressive holiday bake that fills the house with the smell of Christmas, perfect alongside our eggnog cake.
- It is endlessly giftable wrapped in parchment and ribbon, and the leftover slices make the most incredible French toast.
Key Ingredients
Simple pantry ingredients come together to make this festive Italian bread. Here is what each one does.
- All purpose flour: Forms the structure of the bread, building just enough gluten for a soft, tender crumb.
- Active dry yeast and warm milk: The yeast blooms in warm milk to give the panettone its tall, airy rise.
- Eggs and butter: These make the dough rich, golden, and incredibly soft and buttery.
- Sugar: Adds gentle sweetness and feeds the yeast for a good rise.
- Raisins and candied orange: The classic panettone mix-ins that add sweetness and bursts of fruity, citrusy flavor.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
This panettone is easy to make your own with a few simple swaps:
- Swap the fruit: Use dried cranberries, cherries, chopped dates, or a mix of candied citrus peels instead of raisins.
- Add chocolate: Fold in mini chocolate chips along with or in place of the dried fruit for a kid favorite version.
- Add warm spice: A little vanilla, orange zest, or a pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg makes it extra cozy.
- Make minis: Bake the dough in smaller paper panettone molds or muffin tins for adorable individual loaves and gifts.
How to Make Panettone
- In a large bowl, combine the warm milk, sugar, and yeast. Let it sit for about 5 minutes until frothy and bubbly, then mix in the eggs until well combined.
- Stir in the flour until a soft dough forms. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise in a warm spot for about an hour, until doubled in size.
- Pat the dough out on a floured surface and dot it with 6 tablespoons of the softened butter. Knead for about 10 minutes, folding the butter in until the dough is very soft and elastic.
- Pat the dough into a rough square and scatter the raisins and candied orange on top. Fold the corners over the fruit and keep kneading until it is evenly distributed.
- Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a parchment lined 6 inch cake pan. Cover and let it proof for about an hour, until doubled and risen above the pan.
- Score a cross in the top and place the last tablespoon of butter in the center. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes, then reduce to 325 and bake 18 to 20 minutes more, until golden and a skewer comes out clean.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Check your milk temperature, warm milk around 105 to 110 degrees Fahrenheit blooms the yeast without killing it.
- Be patient with the rises, letting the dough fully double both times is the secret to a tall, fluffy panettone.
- Soften the butter well, so it kneads smoothly into the dough for the softest, richest crumb.
- Line the pan tall, with parchment that extends a few inches above the rim so the bread can rise up and over.
- Toss the fruit in a little flour, to help keep the raisins and candied orange from sinking to the bottom.
- Tent with foil if needed, if the top browns too quickly near the end, loosely cover it so the inside finishes baking.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
This homemade panettone is heavenly sliced and toasted with a little butter for Christmas morning, alongside a homemade gingerbread latte or a mug of hot cocoa. It is the perfect centerpiece for a cozy holiday brunch.
Serve it for dessert with a dusting of powdered sugar and a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or next to our eggnog cake and Christmas fudge on the dessert table. It is also lovely with coffee in the afternoon.
Do not skip the leftovers, they make the most decadent French toast or bread pudding. Wrap a loaf in parchment and ribbon to give as a heartfelt homemade holiday gift.
Panettone FAQs
Panettone is a traditional Italian sweet bread originally from Milan that is especially popular around Christmas and New Year. It has a tall, domed shape and a light, airy, buttery crumb studded with raisins and candied fruit. It is enjoyed sliced on its own, toasted with butter, or used in desserts like French toast and bread pudding.
Dense panettone usually comes from under proofing or yeast that did not fully activate. Make sure your milk is warm but not hot so the yeast blooms, and let the dough rise fully until doubled both times. Rushing the rises is the most common reason the bread turns out heavy instead of tall and airy.
Yes, panettone keeps beautifully and many people think it tastes even better the next day. Store it wrapped tightly at room temperature for up to three days, or freeze it for up to a month. This makes it a perfect bake to prepare a day or two before your holiday gathering.
If you are not a fan of candied orange, you can swap in other dried or candied fruits. Dried cranberries, cherries, chopped apricots, or candied lemon peel all work well. For a fruit free version, mini chocolate chips make a delicious modern twist that kids especially love.
Store leftover panettone wrapped tightly in plastic wrap or in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days. To keep it longer, slice it and freeze it for up to a month, then thaw and toast as needed. Toasting day old panettone with a little butter brings it right back to life.
No, you do not need a special panettone mold. A regular 6 inch cake pan lined with tall parchment paper works perfectly to give the bread its classic domed shape. You can also use a clean coffee can or paper panettone molds if you have them, but the parchment lined pan is the easiest option.
Baking up a holiday spread? Make our Christmas tree pull apart bread and gingerbread muffins next.
Round out a festive holiday spread with our homemade crescent rolls alongside this panettone.
Homemade Panettone
Ingredients
- ½ cup warm whole milk 105-110 degrees F
- 6 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2 large Eggs
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 7 Tablespoon unsalted butter softened, divided
- ½ cup raisins
- ½ cup candied orange
Instructions
- To make the panettone bread dough, add the warm milk, sugar, and yeast into a large bowl. Let sit for 5 minutes until slightly frothy and bubbly. Add in the eggs and mix everything together well.
- Then add in the flour. Stir everything together until a dough is formed.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rise for around an hour, until doubled.
- On a lightly floured clean work surface, pat out the dough to about ½ inch circle. Add 6 tablespoons of the butter on top.
- Knead the dough for ten minutes, folding the dough over the butter until we get a very soft and elastic dough.
- Pat the dough out into a rough square shape about 1/4th of an inch thick. Add the candied orange and raisins on top.
- Fold the corners of the dough around the filling. Continue kneading the dough until the fillings are distributed.
- Line the bottom of a 6-inch cake pan with parchment paper. Cut another piece of parchment paper that will be long enough to line the sides of the pan, 4 inches high. I find lightly greasing the bottom of the pan and the sides with cooking spray help to keep the parchment paper in place.
- Place the dough ball into the prepared dish. Allow for further proofing until the dough gets doubled in size, about 1 hour in a warm place. The panettone will rise above the dish/parchment.
- Using a very sharp knife, score a cross mark across the entire top of the panettone. Place the remaining tablespoon of butter in the center.
- Bake at 350*F for 30 minutes and then reduce the temperature to 325 F. Bake for another 18-20 minutes. It will be ready once it is golden brown and a skewer inserted into the center of the Panettone comes out clean.
Notes
- Make sure to not overbake this, it will dry out.
- This is sweet without being overly sweet so it is great as breakfast, brunch or as an afternoon snack.
- You do not need to buy a special pan for this as we bake in a 6-inch cake pan.
- This needs to rise twice both until doubled in size.
- This can be frozen, see my tips above on how to do that.
Nutrition
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