Make Perfect Italian Panettone dough in your bread machine, then bake it in the oven for professional results in your own kitchen!
What is Panettone?
Panettone is a traditional Italian yeast cake which is made and eaten at Christmastime.
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To me, it’s a cross between a cake and bread, and isn’t very sweet at all. There are different kinds, but they are always lightly sweetened and usually, dotted with candied fruit, raisins, and sometimes nuts and more recently, chocolate.
Purchased panettoni are always baked in a special paper case, and you can buy them to make your own professional looking cakes at home. However, there’s no need to buy anything as long as you have a brown paper lunch bag. (If you want to make them look fancy, you can buy these on Amazon.)
Years ago, I wanted to make my own panettone and adapted a recipe from my Sunset Fresh Ways with Italian Cooking cookbook and made it in my bread machine. I only made the dough in the machine though, as I didn’t want a “bread-machine-shaped panettone”!
The recipe was for a Venetian-style panettone, which are taller and more thin than other panettoni. It included directions for using a brown paper lunch bag for the panettone to rise and bake in–I had to try it! It worked great and was a very good recipe, so it’s the one I always make now, however, I don’t like candied peel or almonds in my panettone, so I omitted them and used raisins and sultanas, instead.
You can choose to add whatever you like, as I said, chocolate pieces or chips have made their way into panettoni nowadays. If you don’t finish it off in a few days, perfect Italian panettone makes the best bread and butter pudding! Cut it into chunks and dry it off in the oven (or even in the toaster, before you cut it up into pieces). Here is one of my recipes, if you’d like to try it, but I have a few others, too.
As always, I highly recommend using a scale when baking for best results.
Perfect Italian Panettone
Adapted from Sunset’s Fresh Ways with Italian Cooking
Ingredients
- 6 oz warm water (about 110°F/43°C)
- 4 large egg yolks
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 c (4 oz) sugar
- 1 tsp each of lemon and orange rind (preferably from organic fruit)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 c (4 oz) good quality unsalted butter, softened and cut into pieces
- 3 1/4 cups (1 lb) organic, unbleached flour
- 1/4 oz (7g) or 1 pkg dry yeast (preferably for bread machines, but any type will work; I used regular)
- 1/2 c sultanas
- 1/2 c raisins
- 1 egg white, slightly beaten
- 4 crushed sugar cubes, crushed  Belgian pearl sugar or Swedish pearl sugar
Special equipment needed: parchment paper, a brown paper lunch bag and 6″ round baking pan.
Place the water, egg yolks, vanilla, and grated peel into the bread machine first. Next add the sugar, salt, flour and pieces of butter around the outside of the metal pan on top of the flour (see photo below). Make an indentation in the flour and add the yeast. Start the bread machine on “dough” setting.
When the machine beeps to add additional ingredients to the dough, toss in the sultanas and raisins, and allow the cycle to finish. Keep an eye on the dough after it’s finished and allow to rise until doubled in size. (Alternatively, you can remove the dough and put it in a large sealed container and allow to rise in the refrigerator overnight.)
How to Make a Baking Case for Panettone Using a Lunch Bag
- Cut a circle of parchment paper to line the bottom of the 6″ pan; butter or spray the circle of paper and place it in the bottom of the pan.
- Cut another piece of parchment to line the inside of the brown paper bag (so the bread will bake inside parchment without touching the brown paper) after you have cut the bottom out of the bag.
- Fold the top edge down to form a cuff then butter or spray (I used a coconut oil spray as it’s much easier than using butter) the inside of the parchment. It should be about 6.5″ tall when finished.
- Place the paper case in the pan.
Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and knead into a ball then place it into the pan/paper case and allow to rise until almost doubled. Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C.
While the oven is heating, brush the top of the panettone dough with the beaten egg white and sprinkle with the crushed sugar cubes.
Bake for 30 minutes. Then reduce heat to 325°F/160°C and continue to bake until a long, thin skewer comes out clean (about another half an hour). If the top browns too quickly, cover with aluminum foil. Remove the perfect Italian panettone from the oven and allow to cool in pan for about 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, remove the panettone from the pan (my bag slipped right off). Place on rack until completely cool.
Finally, you can cut your perfect Italian panettone into tall slices and serve.
Now you can add perfect Italian panettone to your list of “things I’ve baked”! Isn’t it impressive?
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A traditional Italian cake made with yeast that's popular during the Christmas holidays! Make the dough. Prepare the pan/baking case: Shape the dough
Perfect Italian Panettone Made in a Bread Machine and Baked in the Oven
Ingredients
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Instructions
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Hi,
I want to make this recipe more sweeter. I want to use 3/4 cups of sugar.
Would I have to add more of the other ingredients as well.
What about more butter? How much would I have to use.
Hi Joan, since I’ve never added 50% more sugar, I don’t know what would happen, however, my guess is that it shouldn’t mess up the results. Let me know if you give it a try. I personally wouldn’t add more butter, but again, I’m just guessing.
Thank you so much for this fantastic Panettone recipe! It was great to find such a fantastic recipe to make it using my bread machine . It was so easy and it turned out fantastic! Are used golden raisins, dried pineapple and apricots. The flavors went together perfectly. I will be making this again for sure and quite often. Thanx so much, and happy 2019!
Thanks, Joanne! So happy to hear you loved the recipe. I do too! Sounds like a lovely combination of flavors :) Happy New Year to you, also and hope you find many other recipes to try on my site! :) CC
Hi Christina, i tried your recipe using white spelt flour – however the finished article turned out quite dense although a nice flavour – so i am giving it a go with bread flour this time. My only question is when you say 6oz of water do you mean by weight or are you talking 6 fluid ounces as the two are quite different? 6oz = quarter of a cup (or 56ml) whereas 6 fluid ounzes = 3 quarters of a cup (or 177ml). I used the lattter last time and my dough was very wet so i am thinking i should use less? Many Thanks
Oh yes, different flour makes a huge difference, Steve. Another reader posted photos of their panettone yesterday (using my recipe) and it turned out perfectly.
Yes, liquid is always fluid ounces. 6 fluid ounces would be the correct measurement. I’m sure it will turn out this time. Enjoy!
Christina,
I was thrilled to find your recipe using a bread maker and then oven bake.
I make all my breads this way using Biga as part of the wet mix, which I find helps with flavor and cell structure.
Full disclosure – I did use a cup of biga and kept total liquids the same with spectacular results . Oh and I had leftover candied peel from making Christmas puddings last weekend which I chopped up and added
It rose so high the top hit the element in top of oven!
Far and away the best Panettone I have made – hope I can make a few more
Enjoying it toasted with honey for breakfast!
Thanks
That’s great to hear, David! Thanks so much for letting me (and others) know your results. Happy panettone making!
Hey Christina, I’m dying to make this Panettone, it seems really amazing, but the minimum temperature on my oven is 180ºC, do you think it will still turn out good?
Oh, I’m sure it will be fine, Carol. 5 degrees isn’t that much of a difference. Enjoy!
Hello! I wanted to try this recipe, but i don’t have a bread machine. In one of the comments you said it’s ok to use mixer. In this case, can you please tell me the sequence of mixing the ingredients? thanks in advance.
Hi Anna, sure! Only big difference would be to put the yeast into lukewarm water for a few minutes, then add it with the other liquid ingredients and eggs. Mix that together then begin adding the flour a little at a time, interspersed with the butter. It should still work any way you do it as it’s a bread dough (not as critical as a real cake). Just be sure to use the dough hook and let it knead long enough. Proceed with the rest of the recipe. You’ll love it! Let me know how it turns out for you! CC
Hi Christina!
I tried your recipe yesterday as per your instructions. The taste and the flavour were lovely but the texture was too thick for my taste. I tried panettone once as our Italian relatives brought it right from Italy. The texture was really airy and thats what i liked about it the most. I thought for the next time i could use your recipe but with less flour. I also used milk instead of water, not sure if that might have affected the texture, i think not. But thanks for great recipe, its worth trying!
Hi Anna, glad you tried it, but the texture should not have been thick or heavy at all. As you noted, it should be very light. I’m guessing the milk might have changed the texture, I think you’re right. I’m just wondering why you used milk?
I would suggest making the recipe as is the very first time, then make substitutions thereafter. You may find it’s exactly what you want with the original recipe! :)
Well i guess it just matter of habit. Where i live we rarely make this kind of dough with water, this played a trick on me this time i guess hehe
But as i said i’m not going to give up on this recipe, the cake’s flavour is amazing and it tastes great too. Next time I’m sure to use water a maybe a tiny bit less flour. You panettone looks so puff. I hope mine will be the same next time
Hi Christina, I’m happy to report that I tried this recipe and it turned out wonderful. I apologize for not respecting it 100%, as I used 3 egg yolks instead of 4, but it didn’t turn out to be an issue. The dough was absolutely perfect and rose beautifully. I used chocolate chips and craisins soaked in vanilla extract for the filling. I have to say I missed the candied citrus peel (it doesn’t pay to be lazy or too inventive when baking a traditional recipe 😊). My kids loved the final product though, as for them nothing is better than chocolate.
Thank you for an easy and delicious recipe. Will save it to make again.
Thank you for letting me know, Renata! I’m happy to hear your results, although I’m not surprised as I loved the recipe and it turned out great for me the first time I used it, too! Enjoy your panettone and remember if you end up with any leftovers, it makes the best bread and butter pudding! :) Christina
Very pleased with the outcome, the recipe is shorter than standard Italian ones but it tasted great and was very moist. Really enjoyed making this panettone. Easy to follow, looked and smelled amazing when it came out of the oven. Definitely will try once more.
Hi Julia, glad you liked the recipe, however, the panettone shouldn’t actually be shorter than traditional Italian ones. Maybe you didn’t let it rise long enough, or maybe your yeast wasn’t as fresh as it could be? Let me know how your next bake goes, but happy you enjoyed the results! (And remember it makes aweseome bread and butter pudding!) :) CC
I had a sneaking suspicion that the paper bad idea was faulty. How do you keep the rising dough from oozing out of the bottom of the bag?
Suspicion confirmed, after the work and waiting for this beautiful bread to rise, seeing it coming out of the bottom. Trying to bake it yielded even more disastrous results. Instead of rising out of the top, it just oozed out of the bottom. What a frigging waste. I dumped the mess into a loaf pan, but there’s no saving it. Talk about being mad enough to punch a wall.
I cant be the only one who’s had this problem. I’m a pretty experienced baker. I’d love to see this issue addressed.
Hi Jennifer, it’s obvious to me from your comment that you definitely did something wrong. I have no clue how the dough would ever ooze from the bottom of the bag unless you failed to put the bag into a pan? I’m guessing you didn’t use a scale and that may have resulted in the actual dough being softer than it should have been. Sorry you were so upset that you wanted to punch a wall, but I can assure you, the fault is NOT in the recipe. From the other reviews, it does sound like you’re the only one who has had these issues.
My final comment will be that I did not photo shop my photos in any way, shape or form so this is proof that this recipe (which I adapted from a Sunset recipe) is solid, tried and true. In fact, I’m making another one today and have never had any issues in the past.
Christina
I also dislike candied fruit so I make it with dried apricots. Pineapple, cranberries etc. golden raisins too, all soaked in brandy for a bit. Get rave reviews but I love your paper bag solution, I’m doing that this year!!
Love that fruit option, Katie! And yes, those panettone liners look lovely, but they can be expensive, especially if you want to make a lot to give as gifts. The paper bag works perfectly!
Can you confirm how much a PKG of yeast is please? I have various sizes packets! I really want to try the recipe, thanks
Oh so sorry, Kay! I must have forgotten to add the weight measurements there, just fixed it! 7g of yeast. Let me know how it turns out! CC
Dear Christina,
This recipe is fabulous. It’s *the one* for me! I have one question though: would it work if instead of 4 yolks i put 2 whole eggs? Some of my family members need to watch their cholesterol a bit…
I just made homemade candied organic orange peel and i can’t wait to try your recipe with it 😋
Thank you,
Bea
Hi Bea, I’m glad you’re going to try it, but to answer your question, I honestly don’t know because I’ve never tried it. However, I will add that the amount of cholesterol in two yolks throughout such a large cake will be negligible assuming they’re not going to eat half the cake in one go! :) If you try it, do let me know, but I just think it’d be a shame if it didn’t turn out as well. Good luck!
Dear Christina,
So i tried the 2 eggs instead of 4 yolks… Not a good idea ! The dough was too wet. I have another question. Is it bread flour that is needed for this recipe or just the regular one? I made it yesterday with the flour i use for bread and it turned out differently (the top was not rounded. It sunk in). Or maybe it is because i let the raisins soak in water and vanilla extract before adding them to the dough, and they were too wet – although i let them drain for 5 minutes? I am not sure what made the panettone look like that. Could it be too much rising?
Thank you for your help :)
Beatrice
Hi Beatrice, since you changed a major part of the recipe (eggs vs yolks), that is probably the reason the panettone didn’t turn out for you, in addition to the wet fruit. I don’t think it matters very much whether you use bread or regular flour, but yes over proofing can ruin the bread, too. I would suggest following the directions explicitly the next time, then decide which changes you’d like to make, if any. Good luck! :) CC
Thank you Christina.
Actually i just figured out why my dough was so wet when i measured with cups: your recipe says one pound (about 453 grams) of flour equals 3 1/4 cups but it doesn’t. 3 1/4 cups equals 353 grams so there are 100 grams missing which is why the doigh comes out too wet :)
One pound is the right weight of flour to use for this recipe, now i didn’t check how many cups that is.
Happy Holidays 🎄
Beatrice
Beatrice, this is the exact reason I took cups out of the recipe for my doughnuts. If readers would only use a scale, there would be almost NO mistakes at all. It’s so frustrating as all the converting from cups to ounces to grams, when it’s just so easy to weigh the proper amount and get a great outcome. The weight of one cup of flour varies greatly depending on the flour used, whether it’s sifted, and even who is measuring. I get different results myself! Please invest in a scale and you’ll see that you won’t have problems with baking anymore! (Can you see a pastry chef using cups?) 👩ðŸ»â€ðŸ³ Happy holidays to you too, and hope you end up with a good panettone soon! :)
Born and raised in France, i do use a scale. The only couple of time i used cups to make it was because i was in a hurry :)
Ah! At least you have them, phew! :)
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Interesting site but an absurd amount of intrusive advertising; what a shame.
Hi Joe, I’m glad you found my site interesting, but I would like to respond to the part of your comment regarding advertising.
You see, I am posting all my recipes for FREE, yet I still have to pay for all the ingredients, site hosting and a plethora of other costs that are involved in having a blog. Not to mention the absurd amount of time I spend cooking the recipe, shooting the photos, editing them, writing the post and sharing them on social media so readers can actually find my recipes. I hope you understand that the small amount of payment that I receive from the advertising on my site (which is significantly less than many other blogs) is negligible compared to the amount of time and money I put into its upkeep. I’m sorry that they were intrusive to you. Christina
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Now that is Christmas fun! Hope you have a fabulous Christmas!
You too, Cathy!
Thankyou Christina for making the recipe easier to understand and I am glad that my question of yesterday wasn’t daft. I’m sure others would have been a little flummoxed when they actually got round to making it, I’m all ready to go and with peel and a little chocolate, maybe some cranberries. The real fun part – the bag – mastered and proudly waiting to take this wonderful bread and bake it. Have a wonderful Christmas with your family.
Hi Mary, no problem! I fixed it right away, but didn’t have time to respond to you until now. So glad you’re giving it a try, I’m sure you’ll be happy with the results! Thanks again for catching my omission! :) Merry Christmas to you, too! xx
One of the things I like best about panettone is that it’s NOT too sweet. I’m sure it would make a fabulous bread pudding!
Oooh, of course! If it didn’t taste so good, I’d make panettone simply to make bread and butter pudding!
This looks absolutely fabulous, Christina – and love that it also uses egg yolks. Adding this to my egg yolk collection, as I’m obsessed with keeping the whites aside. No guesses why! Have a wonderful Christmas and love to all the family, my lovely friend x
Oh thank you, Jill! And I need to make macarons, too! :) Merry Christmas to you and your family, also! xx
Great recipe – looking forward to making in the bread machine. At number 5, do you punch the dough down and give a bit of a knead before putting into the prepared paper lined tin? This probably sounds like a daft question but it doesn’t actually make it clear and I have read it through a few times. Would hate to get to this part and mess up! Love the paper bag idea as well. Many thanks
Oh dear, not daft at all, I miss that part so thank you for calling it to my attention, Mary!
Wow. My aunt buys this every Christmas. I figured it would be a process to get this amazing cake made. You just made me pretty excited about it. Especially with using a bread maker. Definitely sending this over to her
Thanks for sharing the recipe, Renz!
Cake and a bread! You have me sold! This sounds absolutely amazing. This would be perfect at Christmas!
It’s a traditional Christmas treat in Italy!
This look amazing! This looks like the perfect breakfast. Yum!!
I have always seen these in the shops and thought they look so festive and impressive! Great recipe and love the pics!
Thanks, Jayne!
How wonderful! I need to try this! I have thought of using a coffee can, but this is much easier!
Yes, David!! Merry Christmas!
I’ve always purchased my Panettone because it looks so intimidating to try to bake at home. This easy recipe using the bread maker is changing my world! I bet it tastes way better for being so fresh and having control to use quality ingredients!
Luci’s Morsels | fashion. food. frivolity.
Absolutely, Luci! Give it a try!
I have the smaller Zojirushi bread machine on my Amazon wish list, I will be trying your recipe after Christmas I hope! Panettone is a bread I love any time of year. Merry Christmas
Ooh, I hope Santa is good to you, Jennifer! Merry Christmas to you too! ;)
It’s beautiful Christine and I love your kitchen hack using parchment and paper bag instead of the panettone paper. I don’t have a bread machine but I am sure it’s easy to adapt to making by hand. I’ve always wanted to make panettone. Merry Christmas hope you have a wonerful holiday,
Thanks, Suzanne! You could easily use a stand mixer to knead it too! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! ;)
Brillant recipe! I love panettone but have never attempted it at home. The recipes I’ve seen just make it seem so complicated, it never seemed worth it. This one really gets rid of the intimidation factor. I may actually give this one a try. Brava!
Oh goodness, you’ve made my day, Frank! I’ve already read your comment to both my parents :)
It really is an easy way to make panettone, so I hope you do give it a try. I saw a recipe yesterday that said to soak the raisins in Marsala (YUM!) May do that next time!
What I great way to make Panettone! I wish I had a bread machine, though. I should probably ask my husband to get me one for Christmas. ;-) Happy Holidays to you and your family, Christina!!
Funny story about my bread machine: my friend often frequents thrift stores so I asked her one day if she could look out of a Zojirushi bread machine as they are one of the best. At around 11 am that morning, she called me to say she found a brand new one for $10 but the paddles were missing. I had her buy it for me and bought the paddles directly from the company for about $14! So I got the almost $300 machine for under $25 AND only hours after I asked my friend to look for me-what a fabulous deal! :) I hope you get one as they are really great to have.
Merry Christmas to you too, Rosa! Thank you!
This looks soooo good! I will do some this year as well for Christmas, but paleo version. Have a wonderful Christmas, Christina!
That’s wonderful, Heidi! Merry Christmas to you too!