#24: Panettone

Panettone is a celebration bread rooted in the culture of Italy.  My first exposure to panettone was a couple of years ago at a family gathering where my brother-in-law brought a large panettone loaf.  I remember it tasting delicious but alas, my memory is not sharp enough to allow me to compare it with the loaves I made.

In making this bread, I used up the last little bit of lemon and orange oil that I had on hand as well as several different types of dried fruit, including raisins, cranberries, cherries, apricots and apples.  The added butter gave the bread a nice rich flavor not dissimilar to brioche.  The fruit reminded me of the stollen I made a few weeks ago which shouldn't be too surprising since the two breads are distant European cousins.

When shaping, I decided to make a dozen small muffin-sized "loafs" as well as the larger loaf above.  The larger loaf maintained moisture a little bit better and we ended up using for french toast a couple days after making it, which was also very tasty.

I'm a little puzzled as to why this recipe wasn't originally placed in the sourdough section since it called for barm.  However the addition of the barm gave this bread a very subtle flavor and in no way detracted from the final effect.

I really liked this bread and I'm considering adding it my collection of Christmas traditions.