Homemade Panettone Gifts

These are the panettones I made from the recipe yesterday. I have them all packaged up and ready to give. I made four smaller loaves, as then one batch goes further than if I had just made it into two loaves, and I can give it to more people. And of course, I keep one for me and my family to taste. Panettone tastes best if it is allowed to age for a little while before tasting, just like a fruit cake. That is why I wrap them so well and package them up as a gift that doesn't really need to be opened. I wrapped each loaf in plastic wrap, then foil, then placed it in a sealed plastic bag, then wrapped it in Christmas paper and tied a ribbon on it. Then I placed a tag on each specifying the day the bread was baked, how long it should ripen, how long it would be good after that, and how to enjoy. The message went something like this: "Should be allowed to age for a week or two before tasting for best flavor. Should be good for at least another week after that. Can be wrapped well and frozen for prolonged storage." I also found some adorable Christmas stickers that say "Baked by....For" or "Goodies by" or "Baked especially for....By" so I stuck one of those on each package too. Panettone is good with a little butter and/or honey, either toasted or not. We tend to eat it for breakfast, but it is good as a snack or a not too sweet dessert as well. 

Italian Christmas Fruit Bread

This is the recipe for The Italian Christmas Fruit Bread, called Panettone, that I have been making the past few years and giving as gifts. Panettone is also available in stores, and those commercial varieties are actually quite good as well, but of course I had to try making my own, and it turned out very well! I am writing this recipe from memory, so I hope everything in it is correct. I will double check the recipe as soon as I can. 

Panettone
1/3 cup boiling water
1/3 cup white rum
1/2 cup warm milk
1/3 cup butter (salted or not, adjust salt amount accordingly), melted
3 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated (white) sugar
2 cups all-purpose (plain) flour
2 packages active dry yeast (I used instant)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon anise extract (don't leave this out, it is a key flavor in the bread. It can be found with the vanilla and other extracts)
1 teaspoon lemon zest
3 1/2 cups additional all-purpose (plain) flour
3/4 cup raisins
3/4 cup mixed red and green glace cherries (I used slightly more red and green), halved
1/4 cup chopped mixed peel
a little additional flour for coating the fruit
additional butter for brushing the warm loaves

In a large bowl, stir together the water, rum, and milk. Add the butter, then beat in the eggs. Stir in the sugar. Beat in the next six ingredients until smooth. Gradually stir in the remaining flour, until a soft dough forms and begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Knead in the fruit. Knead the bread for 6-8 minutes until smooth and elastic. 
Form dough into a ball. Place the dough in a bowl greased with a little oil, and turn once to grease top. Cover tightly with a piece of oiled plastic wrap, then with a damp tea towel. Let rise 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in bulk.
Punch dough down. Divide into either two or four equal pieces. Shape into round loaves and place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Cover and let rise for another hour, or until doubled in bulk.
Bake at 350◦F for 25-30 minutes for small loaves or 35-40 minutes for large loaves.  Immediately brush warm loaves with a little butter. 

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.