Panettone Bread Recipe (Italian Christmas Bread)

Easy to make panettone bread recipe that is the perfect bread to make during the Christmas season. This homemade Italian Christmas bread recipe will quickly become a family favorite.

Panettone Bread Recipe

Normally I buy a few store bought panettone bread at the store each year during the holiday season for us to enjoy thru out December and then I learned how easy it is to make my own holiday bread at home. Now that I know how easy it is I skip buying it and have been making panettone bread.

Making homemade panettone bread is so much better than any store bought panettone bread I have purchased at the store. It is sweet, soft and the perfect breakfast, snack, or dessert. This traditional Italian Panettone Recipe was originally a Christmas sweet bread but make it once and you’ll want it on your table with every holiday and quite a few times during the year just because!

This traditional Italian sweet bread recipe is so easy to make, even though when you think about it at first it feels like you will have a hard time making it. I know I was nervous the first time I made this bread recipe, but I totally plan on having it for Christmas morning this year.

Christmas Breakfast Recipes

• French toast casserole
• Christmas Tree Cinnamon Rolls
• Italian Hot Chocolate
• Reindeer Cinnamon Rolls
• Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls
• Santa Banana Pops
• Santa Cinnamon Rolls
• Grinch Fruit Kabobs
• Gingerbread Oatmeal

What is Panettone Bread?

Panettone bread is a round Italian cake that is traditionally eaten at Christmas. For many people, panettone bread is a holiday tradition.

Panettone Bread is a sweet Italian yeast bread that is usually made with raisins and candied fruit. We used only candied oranges when making ours but you can totally use a candied holiday fruit mix when making yours. Panettone bread can be served as a dessert or as a breakfast or snack. This Panettone bread recipe is a light and fluffy sweet bread that is baked in a round pan that is filled with raisins and candied fruit.

How do you eat Panettone Bread? 

There are a few different ways to enjoy Panettone Bread.

• You can eat Panettone Bread just by slicing it.
• You can slice it and then toast it in the oven at 350°F for 3-5 minutes until golden brown and then spread butter on it. You can also add a drizzle of honey on it. 
• You can serve it in place of a coffee cake for breakfast with butter and a drizzle of honey. 

Variations of this Recipe

There are plenty of ways to modify it, check out some of our favorite ways to change things up when making this traditional Christmas bread.

Soak the raisins in rum. You can soak the cup of raisins in a bowl with 2 tablespoons of warm water and 2 tablespoons of rum for 4-5 hours. You want the raisins to be plump and before using drain any of the extra liquid before you use them.

Use Candied Fruit Mixture. If you want to have more fruit than just candied oranges, use 1 cup of mixed candied fruits or dried fruit instead of 1 cup of candied oranges.

Add citrus zest. You can add 1 tablespoon of orange zest or lemon zest to the bread if you want to. Add this in when you are adding the candied fruit.

Chocolate chips. You can make a chocolate chip panettone bread by skipping the fruit and using chocolate chips instead. If doing so I suggest using semi-sweet chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips. Those are the flavors we prefer, you can use milk chocolate chips as well.

What is the best pan to bake Panettone Bread?

The best pan to bake panettone bread in is a Panettone Bread spring release pan also known as panettone molds, with a panettone bread liner. You can purchase both things on Amazon.

Panettone Bread Ingredients

• 1/2 cup warm milk
• 6 tablespoons granulated white sugar
• 2 Eggs
• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 3 cups flour
• 6 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup candied orange

How to Make Panettone Bread  

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or the dough hook or a large mixing bowl using a wooden spoon, add the warm milk, eggs, sugar, and yeast. Mix everything together well.

If using a stand mixer, mix on low speed.

Once everything is mixed well add in the flour.

Mix everything together until a dough is formed.

Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and allow the dough to ferment and let it slow rise for around an hour at room temperature.

After an hour or so of proofing, add in the butter. Knead the dough for ten minutes or until you get a very soft and elastic dough.

Need the dough and stretch it so it is semi a flat shape and add the candied orange and raisins.

Continue kneading the dough to mix the fruit and raisins into the dough. 

Place the dough ball into the panettone bread mold. If you are using a liner, put the liner in before you put the dough into the pan.

Allow the dough to continue to proof until it has doubled in size.

Once the dough has doubled in size, use a very sharp knife, score a cross mark across the entire top of the panettone.

Place about a tablespoon of butter in the center.

Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes and then reduce the temperature to 325 F and bake for another 25-30 minutes.

It will be ready once a skewer inserted into the center of the panettone cake comes out clean.

Traditional Christmas Recipes

• Cranberry Sauce
• Mashed Potatoes
• Sweet Potato Casserole
• Apple Cider Gravy
• Baked Mac and Cheese
• Pearl Onions in cream sauce
• Sausage apple Stuffing
• Apple Pie
• Turkey
• Baked Brie