Make your own panettone

For many people in the Italian community, this really is the most wonderful time of the year.

Forget the egg nog and shortbread: it's all about the panettone.

At La Bottega Nicastro in the ByWard Market, manager Larissa Beznazcuk-Smyrnew visited the Motta bakery in Milan last year, birthplace of the panettone we eat today.

Her love of the sweet dessert loaves even earned her the nickname "panettone princess" at her store.

"It signifies the beginning of the holiday season when they arrive ... The traditional panettone is candied citrus and raisins but different bakers come up with different combinations," said Beznazcuk-Smyrnew.

This year's versions at La Bottega Nicastro include panettones filled with cherries, champagne cream, pistachio and fortified wine. There's even a Dolce Gabbana-branded panettone made with saffron, she said. 

Over at Bread By Us in Hintonburg, owner Jessica Carpinone admits to having a complicated relationship with panettone. 

She said she never took a liking to candied fruit and raisins in the ones she encountered as a child at Christmas, but still decided to make her own once she opened her own bakery.

That's why her version doesn't include raisins or candied citrus — or artificial preservatives, for that matter.

"Some of the mass production companies have to make them so far in advance that they're full of additives and preservatives. And those come with certain flavour profiles," said Carpinone.

Her panettone is available in store and made to order, so they're always fresh, she said. 

If you'd like to try your hand at making your own panettone at home, remember, it's more time consuming than baking your average cake, but it's not difficult. 

• Think Outside The Box: Delicious Panettone Recipe 

Here's a home version from recipe developer and food blogger Julie Van Rosendaal:

Easy panettone

One large round loaf is traditional, but the dough could be made into small, individual buns. Just divide the dough into balls, let it rise in buttered muffin tins, and bake for about half the time or until golden.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup milk, warmed
• 1 package (or 2 tsp.) active dry yeast
• ½ cup sugar
• 3 large eggs, plus one (optional) for brushing
• Grated orange zest (optional)
• 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra if needed
• ½ tsp. salt
• ⅓ cup butter, room temperature
• 1½ cups dried fruit (raisins, candied citrus zest, cranberries, currants, chopped dried apricots)
• icing sugar for dusting

Directions:

1. Pour the warmed milk in a large bowl and sprinkle the yeast on top, along with a big pinch of the sugar.
2. Set aside for about five minutes, until the mixture is foamy.
3. Add the remaining sugar, three eggs, orange zest, flour and salt and beat until thick and sticky.
4. Add the butter and stir until the dough comes together, then knead (by hand or using the dough hook attachment on your mixer) for six to seven minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic. It should be tacky, but not sticky.
5. Knead in the fruit.
6. Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl and rotate it so it's coated all over, then cover with a tea towel and set aside in a warm place for an hour or so until it's doubled in size.
7. Meanwhile, butter the bottom of a panettone tin or an eight-inch round cake pan.
8. Once the dough is ready, punch it down and transfer it to the pan. Cover loosely with a tea towel and set aside for another hour or until the dough rises again.
9. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
10. Brush the top of your dough with a little beaten egg and bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until deep golden.
11. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack, and then dust with icing sugar before serving.