Il Cucinologo
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Panettone without Leavening

17/11/2023

I can guide you in preparing an “Easy Panettone” that doesn’t require the long rising times of traditional panettone. This version is great for those who don’t have much time but still want to enjoy something that recalls the flavor of classic panettone. Remember that the result will be different from the traditional one, but still delicious. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

  • 300 g of 00 flour
  • 100 g of sugar
  • 100 g of softened butter
  • 2 whole eggs
  • 100 ml of milk
  • 1 packet of baking powder
  • Grated zest of 1 lemon
  • 80 g of raisins
  • 50 g of candied fruit (orange and citron)
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • Powdered sugar (for decoration)

Preparation

  1. In a bowl, start by beating the eggs with the sugar until you obtain a light and frothy mixture.
  2. Add the softened butter and continue to mix with an electric whisk or by hand.
  3. Incorporate the grated lemon zest.
  4. Combine the sifted flour with the baking powder and the pinch of salt, alternating with the milk, until you obtain a homogeneous mixture.
  5. Add the raisins previously soaked in warm water and squeezed and the candied fruit, mix gently.
  6. Pour the batter into a paper panettone mold (if you don’t have one, you can use a round mold, preferably springform, 18-20 cm in diameter).
  7. Bake the panettone in a preheated oven at 180 °C for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  8. Remove the panettone from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack.
  9. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Remember that this is not a traditional panettone, but a simplified variant, so the texture and flavor will be different from those you are usually accustomed to if you know classic Milanese panettone.

Trivia

The traditional panettone has very ancient origins and various legends tell of its birth. One of the best known has it invented at the court of Ludovico il Moro in Milan, when, during a Christmas lunch, the planned dessert burned, and a kitchen boy, Toni, proposed a reserve dessert that he had secretly prepared, which was such a success that it was called “Pane di Toni”, from which, precisely, Panettone.