Panettone

Panettone (literally 'big bread'), is a tall dome-shaped yeast bread that originated in Milan, Italy. It is usually prepared and enjoyed for Christmas, but is also popular for other festive occasions such as Easter, when it may be formed into the shape of a lamb or dove.

This cake-like bread is prepared using yeast and strong white wheat flour enriched with egg yolks, butter and milk, and flavoured with sugar, raisins and orange and lemon zest. The rich dough is beaten and cured until it achieves an elastic consistency that allows it to hold air within the dough and to expand as it rises - this process may take up to 20 hours. It is then baked in a tall cake pan lined with parchment that extends above the rim. The resulting bread has a light, delicate texture, which may be served in slices vertically cut, accompanied with sweet hot drinks, a sweet wine such as spumante or moscato or a sweet liqueur such as Amaretto.

There are many variations on the traditional recipe, including the addition of chocolate chips, nuts, candied fruit or limoncello - a lemon liqueur.