Quick Panettone

Quick panettone leavened with baking soda instead of yeast. Great panettone flavor with a more cake-like texture

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City/Region: Italy

Time Period: 1891

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The stories you hear about the origins of panettone are too fantastical to be true (and rely heavily on a person named Tony), but it is generally accepted that the long 3-day process was first developed by Angelo Motta after he came home from WWI in 1919.

While this quick recipe predates Motta’s long method by a few decades, it still would have been a good deal faster than yeasted versions because it doesn’t need to rise. Surprisingly, it tastes just like regular panettone, though the texture is a bit denser and is more cake-like. I prefer to simply buy a traditional panettone, but if you’re set on making it at home, this version doesn’t take three days and you don’t need to let it cool upside down.

To see a side-by-side taste test of a traditional panettone and this recipe, check out the Quick Panettone episode by clicking the button above.

“Panettone Marietta
My Marietta is a good cook, and so good-hearted and honest that she deserves that I name this cake after her, especially since she taught me how to make it…In winter, soften the butter…and mix it with the eggs. Add the flour and milk a little at a time, then the rest of the ingredients minus the sultanas and powders, which you should save for last. But before adding them, work the mixture for at least half an hour…Pour it into a mold, twice as large as the amount of batter…Grease the walls with butter, sprinkle with powdered sugar mixed with flour, and bake in the oven…This panettone deserves to be recommended, because it’s much better than the Milan panettone that’s sold in stores, and requires little trouble to make.”

— La Scienza in Cucina: L’Arte di Mangiar Bene by Pellegrino Artusi, 1891

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Ingredients:

• Butter, for greasing
• Flour, for coating the mold
• Powdered sugar, for coating the mold
• 7 tablespoons (100 g) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 whole egg
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 3/4 cup (300 g) sifted cake flour
• 4/5 cup (200 ml) milk
• Heaping 1/3 cup (80 g) sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• Zest of 1 lemon
• Heaping tablespoon (20 g) candied fruit in tiny pieces
• 1/2 cup (80 g) sultanas, or raisins, soaked in a little water, rum, or whiskey to plump them
• 1 tablespoon (10 g) cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon (5 g) baking soda

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Whisk together a bit of flour and powdered sugar. Butter the inside of the panettone mold(s), then dust the inside with the powdered sugar mixture.
2. In a large bowl, whip the butter, then add the egg and egg yolks. Beat until smooth-ish. Add 1/3 of the flour and mix, then add 1/3 of the milk and mix. Alternate between the two, 1/3 at a time and mix well between the additions. When you’re done, the batter should be smooth and the consistency of a very thick pancake batter.
3. Mix in the sugar, salt, lemon zest, and candied fruit. Beat with a hand mixer or in a stand mixer for 7 to 8 minutes.
4. Stir in the sultanas. In a separate bowl, mix the baking soda and cream of tartar together, then add them to the batter. Stir until combined.
5. Fill the prepared molds a little more than halfway with the batter. Set the molds on a baking sheet and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour. The panettone is done when the top has puffed up into a dome, has a couple of cracks on it, and is a nice golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool (no need to cool them upside down).
6. Serve the panettone forth with a cup of coffee or a bit of mascarpone cheese.

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