Panettone- Christmas bread- cake from Milan, is a typical dome-shaped cake made with flour, yeast, eggs, butter, sugar, sultanas and mixed candied fruit. The panettone has an ancestor large and round, rich with fruit, raisins, candied fruit, spices and honey which was used in christian rituals (the women to help with the rising traced a cross with the wedding ring in the dough).
The Panettone is said to originate from Milan and from the court of Ludovico il Moro, It was the evening of Christmas, while everyone was committed to serving the numerous courses of Christmas dinner, left alone to monitor the oven was Toni, the youngest and bumbling servant.
“Watch the buns that are baking”, barked the head baker to Toni. But Toni who was tired became sleepy from the warmth of the oven, dozed off. After a few minutes he woke up and pouring out of the oven was smoke.
“Dear me, what a mess!” Toni was desperate tearing his hair from his head. Thinking what to do now? How to fix it? Fortunately on the wooden counter was still a bit of bread dough. Without wasting time, Toni grabbed the dough, mixed in eggs & butter. Then to sweeten it he added, honey, candied fruit, raisins and dried fruit. Finally he put the dough in the oven.
“ Where are the buns?” rang the voice of the head baker. “They are all burnt” said Toni, “but we can serve this bread-cake that I’ve just prepared.”
The head baker agreed to take the improvised dish to the table of the lords of Milan, who enjoyed it immensely. Since then, the “pane di Toni” was always requested for Christmas dinner.
Panettone is now one of the most popular Christmas cakes, in the early 20th century, two enterprising Milanese bakers began to produce panettone in large quantities to the rest of Italy (Motta & Alemagna). In 1919, Angelo Motta who revolutionised the traditional panettone by giving its tall domed shape by making the dough rise three times, or almost 20 hours, before cooking, giving it its now-familiar light texture.
Panettone
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