TRADITIONAL ITALIAN RECIPE: Panettone usually prepared and enjoyed for Christmas and New Year in Italy, southeastern France, Spain, Brazil, Venezuela, Peru, Malta, Albania, Germany and Switzerland, and is one of the symbols of the city of Milan.
In recent years it has become a popular addition to the Christmas table in the United Kingdom, United States, Canada and Australia. In South America, especially in Peru, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Colombia, Bolivia, and Chile, and Mexico. Each country names the special bread differently. In some countries it is a tradition to eat it on 7 January each year.
It has a cupola shape, which extends from a cylindrical base and is usually about 12–15 cm high for a panettone weighing 1 kg. Other bases may be used, such as an octagon, or a frustum with a star section shape more common to pandoro. It is made during a long process that involves curing the dough, which is acidic, similar to sourdough. 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. It is served in slices, vertically cut, accompanied with sweet hot beverages or a sweet wine, such as Asti or Moscato d'Asti. In some regions of Italy, it is served with crema di mascarpone, a cream made from mascarpone, eggs, sometimes dried or candied fruits, and typically a sweet liqueur such as amaretto; if mascarpone cheese is unavailable, zabaione is sometimes used as a substitute.
Efforts are under way to obtain Protected Designation of Origin and Denominazione di origine controllata status for this product, but, as of late 2008, this had not occurred. Italian Agriculture Minister Paolo De Castro was looking at ways to protect genuine Italian cakes from growing competition in Latin America and whether action could be taken at the World Trade Organization.
History
In the early 20th century, two enterprising Milanese bakers began to produce panettone in large quantities in the rest of Italy. In 1919, Angelo Motta started producing his eponymous brand of cakes. It was also Motta who revolutionised the traditional panettone by giving it its tall domed shape by making the dough rise three times, for almost 20 hours, before cooking, giving it its now-familiar light texture. The recipe was adapted shortly after by another baker, Gioacchino Alemagna, around 1925, who also gave his name to a popular brand that still exists today. The stiff competition between the two that then ensued led to industrial production of the cake.
Nestlé ( the evil company ) took over the brands together in the late 1990s, but Bauli, an Italian bakery company based in Verona, has acquired Motta and Alemagna from Nestlé.
As a result of this fierce competition, by the end of World War II panettone was cheap enough for anyone and soon became the country's leading Christmas sweet. Lombard immigrants to Argentina and Brazil also brought their love of panettone, and panettone is enjoyed for Christmas with hot cocoa or liquor during the holiday season, which became a mainstream tradition in those countries. In some places, it replaces the King cake.
In Argentina, Brazil (Panetone in Brazilian Portuguese), Chile (see: Pan de Pascua), Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Bolivia, and Peru (known in Spanish as "Panetón" or "Pan Dulce"). Peru's Antonio D'Onofrio, son of immigrants hailing from Caserta, Italy, spawned his own brand using a modified form of the Alemagna formula (e.g., candied papaya is used instead of candied citron and lemon, as these fruits are not available in Peru), which he licensed along with the packaging style. This brand is now also owned by Nestlé and exported throughout Latin America. In recent years, Brazilian Panettone have increased in quality and in popularity due to their low cost and abundance.
Italian food manufacturing companies and bakeries produce 117 million panettone and pandoro cakes every Christmas — worth 579 million euros.
Panettone is also very popular in Australia owing to the large number of Italian immigrants, and in some places, supermarkets make large displays of panettone near the front of the shop. Some non-Italians may use it as an alternative to the somewhat stodgier Christmas Cake. By 2011 panettone had become popular in the UK.
Origins
In Italy the panettone comes with an often varied history, but one that invariably states that its birthplace is in Milan. The word "panettone" derives from the Italian word "panetto", a small loaf cake. The augmentative Italian suffix "-one" changes the meaning to "large cake".
The origins of this cake appear to be ancient, dating back to the Roman Empire, when ancient Romans sweetened a type of leavened cake with honey. Throughout the ages this "tall, leavened fruitcake" makes cameo appearances in the arts: It is shown in a sixteenth-century painting by Pieter Brueghel the Elder and is possibly mentioned in a contemporary recipe book written by Bartolomeo Scappi, personal chef to popes and emperors during the time of Charles V. The first recorded association of panettone with Christmas can be found in the writings of 18th century illuminist Pietro Verri. He refers to it as "Pane di Tono" (luxury cake).
Legends
Though the etymology of the word 'panettone' is rather mundane, three more complex and fanciful folk etymologies have arisen. It is also thought that one of the ecclesiastical brothers, Fr. Antonio, who always wore the proper hat, was fond of this Pane.
The ecclesiastical hat Pane Tone was later adopted as the shape, which gave rise to Panettone. This derivation received credence and acceptability at the turn of the century, and is likely to be the foreunner of the more recent Christmas cake.
Gianrian Carli in "Il Caffe" makes passing reference to Panettone in 1850 in discussion with Pietro Verri and alludes to a clerical hat. Prof. S Reynders. Dipartimento di Scienze del Linguaggio, Università Ca'Foscari (1987).
One suggests that the word derives from the Milanese, "pan del ton", meaning "cake of luxury". Another states that a 15th-century legend from Milan gives the invention to the nobleman falconer Ughetto Atellani, who loved Adalgisa, the daughter of a poor baker named Toni. To help her, the nobleman disguised himself as a baker and invented a rich cake to which he added flour and yeast, butter, eggs, dried raisins, and candied lemon and orange peel.
The duke of Milan, Ludovico il Moro Sforza (1452–1508), agreed to the marriage, which was held in the presence of Leonardo da Vinci, and encouraged the launch of the new bread-like cake: Pan de Toni (or Toni's cake).
Skill Level:  |
Time: 7 Hours |
Price:  |
Makes: 1 Panettone |
Ingredients:
| Conversions |
Directions:
01 - Place the Raisins into a bowl of water and leave it there, resting for about 10 minutes.
02 - In the meanwhile, using another bowl, put the Brewer's Yeast and 1 tablespoon of Sugar into the lukewarm Milk.
03 - At this point add the half cup of Flour and mix slowly till you have a soft dough. It might take up to 8 minutes.
04 - Cover the dough and leave it expanding for about 1 hour in a warm room.
05 - Once the dough has grown in size ( about double ) add 2 full Eggs and what you've got left of the Brewer's Yeast and about 1 cup of Flour.
06 - Mix everything.
07 - Once you have made ( again ) a soft soft dough add sugar, butter and mix well. You will have now to have a sticky and soft dough.
08 - Cover it with some cleang film and leave it resting for about 2 hours in a warm room, till the volume will double.
09 - Add 2 full Eggs and 1 extra Yolk, about 1 cup of Flour and mix for about 10 minutes, or untill you have a soft dough.
10 - Now, add half cup of Sugar, 1 teaspoon of Salt, half cup of Unsalted Butter, Grated Organic Lemon Skin, Dried Oranges, Cherries and Currants and Vanilla. Add the Raisins too and mix until all is well incorporated.
11 - Cover the bowl with some cling film and leave it vvresting for other 2 hours in a warm room.
12 - Prepare a 18cm / 7in Panettone Tin by brushing the Cooking Paper generously with melted butter.
13 - Cover again and leave it there for other 2 hours until the dough just starts to dome over the top of the tin.
14 - Leave the dough resting. Do not cover it. Leave it rest for about 10 minutes. Once the top of the panettone dome dries you can cut a cross in it.
15 - Place a dice of butter on the top of it.
16 - Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F / Gas 4 with a bowl of water in it. This will help to give enogh humidity inside the oven.
17 - Bake the panettone for abot 1 hour making sure the tope doesn't get too dark.
- If it does, you can reduce the temperature to 150C / 300F / Gas 2
- Check the panettone periodically in case of oven hot spots. Bear in mind that the sugar and butter in the dough could brown too much before it is actually fully baked.
18 - Remove the panettone from the tin immediately and allow to cool.
Notes:
- Feel free to add or remove Raisins or Candieds.
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