What is Panettone And Why Is The Italian Christmas-Special Sweet Bread So Expensive? (2024)

FAQs

What is Panettone And Why Is The Italian Christmas-Special Sweet Bread So Expensive? ›

This Italian bread is costlier than other kinds of similar bread for several reasons and one of them is the preparation and baking process. Panettone which is baked traditionally following the age-old process consumes a lot of time.

Panettone is made using high-quality ingredients, including butter, eggs, candied fruits, and sometimes premium ingredients like chocolate or dried fruits which can be costly.

The proofing process alone takes several days, giving the cake its distinctive fluffy characteristics. It contains candied orange, citron, and lemon zest, as well as raisins, which are added dry and not soaked. Many other variations are available such as plain or with chocolate.

Traditionally, panettone is served after the enormous Christmas day feast, however, very few have any room left for dessert, so we also eat our panettone in the mornings with a milky, frothy cappuccino. We also love it as our “Merenda” , a sweet snack in the afternoon with an espresso.

Taste: Good panettone will be rich and buttery, with a great golden colour to match. Texture: When you buy a good panettone, you'll notice that it tears in large strips – almost like a mozzarella.

Storing: Keep your panettone in a dry and cool place (54-65°F), away from direct sunlight. This is especially important if you have purchased a panettone with a glaze; they will be extremely sensitive to heat and light. After slicing, store the remaining inside of the cellophane bag that it was originally wrapped in.

Panettone is delicious for breakfast, as a snack or a bite with tea, or after dinner with a glass of sparkling or dessert wine. Panettone keeps exceptionally well, and some say it improves with age.

Panettone shelf life

They are dated well into next year. Once opened, keep wrapped and that will keep it fresh for a few weeks, if you can resist that long!

Dipping a slice into a hot drink softens it, making each bite melt in the mouth. Some also enjoy it with a spread of sweetened ricotta or Nutella. Panettone is synonymous with Christmas in Italy. Traditionally, it is enjoyed post the Christmas Eve meal or on Christmas morning.

Do Italians eat panettone all year? ›

Panettone is now produced all year round, except, perhaps, in the summer months. Its typical moment is the Christmas holidays, but NOT the New Year! On that day the panettone gave way to the "veneziana", very similar, but without raisins and only with candied orange.

You SHOULD NOT serve Panettone hot, just slightly warm it up to activate its orangy flavor. The right temperature to serve it is about 25°C-77°F. Slice Panettone using a serrated knife for bread. Serve it with my Panettone Frosting and Italian Prosecco wine in a flute glass!

Slice panettone into thick or thin wedges; it's entirely up to you. If you baked it in a paper mold, just slice right through it. Panettone is more bread than cake—it's only slightly sweet. Feel free to eat it plain, or slather with butter.

It's been called the Mount Everest of holiday baking, considered by bakers to be the most difficult baked good to perfect. Most bakers don't even try, unless they're driven by personal obsession or family destiny. Panettone, that iconic bread-slash-cake of the Italian holiday season, is no mere fruitcake.

While in this example, the flakes were dusted on top primarily for decoration purposes, Pan Pina bakery in Algatocin, Spain actually bakes gold and silver right into its luxury sourdough loaves, which sell for an astounding 1,480 per unit, making it the most expensive bread in the world.

The 'Specially Selected' Aldi panettone was £1.35, while the standard Lidl version was just 99p. The Aldi cake was larger however at 100g compared to Lidl's 90g offering. But the proof of the pudding was in the eating.

Panettone is leavened with yeast, and has the texture. of bread. American styled cake is made with baking powder, and decorated with buttercream and frosting.