Panettone

Panettone is an Italian Christmas fruit bread. It is very popular around Christmas time, and many grocery stores sell commercial varieties of it starting in November. It isn't hard to find. Every brand of panettone is slightly different, but usually panettone is flavored with citrus fruits and anise. Anise, commonly found in the form of star anise or anise extract, is an herb with a flavor very similar to licorice. It adds the characteristic flavor to panettone. Panettone also contains a plentiful amount of dried fruit; usually raisins, cherries, and mixed peel. Some varieties of panettone also contain pine nuts. 
Traditionally panettone is baked in a special pan to give it a unique shape. For home cooks though, panettone is normally just shaped into a round by hand and baked free-form on a baking sheet. The dough is very soft and smooth and easy to work with. This bread is quite rich, as it contains butter, eggs, and milk. Some types also contain a little liquor for added flavor. The recipe I used yields two large loaves, but this year I decided to make them into four smaller loaves to give as gifts. You can also buy large loaves, or small individual-sized loaves, more like panettone muffins.  
Panettone is one of those foods that gets better with age. When well wrapped and stored in a cool, dry place, homemade panettone can keep for at least a month, and really should not even be tasted before two weeks of aging. It can also be frozen for prolonged storage. Store-bought panettone contains many more preservatives, and some will last for up to a year. Panettone is great eaten for breakfast with a little butter or honey, or even nothing at all. It goes great with tea and coffee. It is also delicious toasted. I highly recommend that you try some panettone this year. I don't say this often, but the store bought varieties are perfectly acceptable if you are still a little leery about making some yourself.