Panatone is a Christmas Bread Recipe Which is Part of Italian Food Customs

Panatone (Panettone) is sweet fruit bread typical of the food from Italy. It is specialty bread made at Christmas. In the old days the bread was shaped in a dome but today you will find it mostly shaped like a wide inflated tower.

PANATONE

• 2 Packages dry yeast


• 1/3 Cup warm water


• 3 Tablespoons sweet Marsala


• 1 ½ Cups raisins


• 1/3 Cup melted butter


• 4 Eggs


• 1/3 Cup sugar


• 2 Teaspoons vanilla


• 3 ¼ Cups flour


• ½ Cup slivered almonds


• ¼ Cup candied orange peel

In a large bowl sprinkle yeast over the warm water; let set for 5 minutes. Pour Marsala over raisins and set aside. Reserve 1 egg white for glaze; beat remaining eggs. Add eggs, butter, sugar, salt, vanilla and 2 cups of flour to the yeast mixture. Mix to blend. With a heavy duty mixer or heavy wooden spoon beat until smooth and elastic.

Stir in the raisins and the liquid and about ¾ cup more of the flour to make soft dough. Turn the dough out on a floured board with a little of the remaining flour and knead until smooth and elastic about 10 minutes). Place the dough in a greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover and let rise until double in size ( 1 ½ hours).

Punch down and knead in the orange peel and almonds. Shape dough in a round ball. Place on a greased baking sheet, cover with inverted bowl and let rise for another hour or until double in size. Brush with glaze below. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 F degrees for 50 to 60 minutes until the loaf is well browned or until pick comes out clean. Cool before cutting.

GLAZE

Beat with a whisk the reserved egg white, ½ teaspoon powder sugar and ½ teaspoon water. Brush loaf of bread before baking.

Try More Delicious Italian Dessert Recipes

• Tiramisu Recipe


• Italian cheesecake


• Chocolate biscotti recipe


• Italian cookie recipes


• Panna Cotta

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