In Italy, historical accounts of panettone invariably state that it originated in Milan. The word panettone derives from panetto, a small loaf of bread. The augmentative suffix -one changes the meaning to 'large bread'.[9] Food historian Francine Segan describes the cake as "probably" created in the 15th century.[10]
Popular tales abound describing panettone's creation. In the most famous, taking place in the 15th century, a wealthy Milanese noble sought to marry the daughter of Tony, a poor baker. To ingratiate himself, the noble furnished the girl's father with the ability to source the best quality flour, eggs, raisins, candied citrus, and sugar, leading to the creation of a rich bread to great commercial success. This new food was named pan di Tonio, and the noble was given the hand of the baker's daughter in marriage.[11]
In another telling the roles are reversed, with a baker named Tony hoping to marry the daughter of a rich noble. Creating and serving panettone in an effort to impress, Tony was rewarded with the noble's approval and his own bakery.[12] Food scholar Cathy Kaufman identifies the popularity of this account in its proximity to analogies within Christian thought, that analogise romantic love and the love of Jesus Christ at Christmas. Another reason Kaufman supplies is the popularity of weddings during the twelve days between Christmas and Epiphany in pre-industrial Europe, after the slaughter replenished food stocks.[13]
Panettone may be mentioned in a recipe book written by Italian Bartolomeo Scappi, a personal chef to popes and emperors during the early 16th century in the reign of Charles V. The oldest and most certain attestation of the panettone is found in a register of expenses of the Borromeo college of Pavia, Lombardy, in 1599: on 23 December of that year in the list of courses provided for Christmas lunch, costs also appear for 5 pounds of butter, 2 pounds of raisins and 3 ounces of spices given to the baker to make 13 "loaves" to be given to college students on Christmas Day.[14] The first recorded association of panettone with Christmas can be found in the Italian writings of the 18th century Enlightenment thinker Pietro Verri. He refers to it as pan de ton ('luxury bread').[15]
The first printed recipe for panettone appears in the third edition of 1853's Nuovo cuoco economico milanese by Giovanni Felice Luraschi (pasta per far panatoni).[16] In early preparations, panettone was made from a wild yeast, over time giving way to commercial yeast.[12]
In the early 20th century, two Milanese bakers began to produce panettone in large quantities for the rest of Italy. In 1919, Angelo Motta started producing his eponymous brand of cakes. It was also Motta who gave the panettone its tall domed shape and light texture by letting the dough rise three times over almost 20 hours before cooking. The recipe was adapted shortly after by another baker, Gioacchino Alemagna, around 1925, who gave his name to a brand that still exists today.[citation needed]
The stiff competition between the two that then ensued led to industrial production of the cake. Nestlé took over the brands together in the late 1990s, but Bauli,[17] an Italian bakery company based in Verona, has since acquired Motta and Alemagna from Nestlé.[18]
Panettone is widely available in South America, including in Argentina, Brazil, Chile (e.g. pan de Pascua), Peru, Colombia, Uruguay, Venezuela, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Ecuador. It is known in Spanish as panetón or pan dulce, and as panetone in Brazilian Portuguese. Peru's Antonio D'Onofrio, son of immigrants hailing from Caserta, Italy, spawned his own brand using a modified form of the Alemagna formula (e.g., candied papaya is used instead of candied citron and lemon, as these fruits are not available in Peru), which he licensed along with the packaging style. This brand is now also owned by Nestlé and exported throughout South America. Panettone is popular within Italian communities in the US, Canada, Australia, and the UK.[citation needed] In North America in the 21st century, some bakeries and cookbooks moved to a panettone made from wild yeast rather than commercial yeast, following a major bakery in Italy that had gained commercial success with wild yeasts.[12] In the UK, panettone is sometimes used to make bread and butter pudding.[19]
Italian food manufacturing companies and bakeries produce 117 million panettone and pandoro cakes every Christmas, collectively worth €579 million.[20] Although panettone remains associated with holidays, it is eaten throughout the year in Italy.[11] As of the mid-2000s, Alemagna and Motta produced the most popular versions in the country.[21]
Peru is the world's biggest consumer of panettone, surpassing Italy, with the average person eating 2.4lb (1.1kg) of panettone each year.[22]
Panettone is made from a flour milled from hard wheat.[24] Raisins and pieces of candied orange and citron are distributed throughout,[11] sometimes substituted and supplemented with almonds and other dried fruits such as apricot and apple. Liquors and alcohol-based citrus or almond extracts provide further flavour.[25][26] Yeast may be commercial or wild, the latter producing panettone with a longer shelf life.[26] Panettone prepared from a commercial yeast, typically Kazachstania exigua, contain several lactic acid bacteria including Fructilactobacillus sanfranciscensis, L. brevis, and L. plantarum.[27]
Preparation
The basic dough for panettone is very close to several other European holiday breads, including the German stollen, the Greek tsoureki and christopsomo, and the Italian colomba pasquale and pandoro, made distinct by their symbolism, shaping, and history.[28][29][30] It has a high level of fat, and requires intensive mixing.[31]
Panettone is shaped on a surface that is sometimes buttered and then baked in a tall, cylindrical mold. Atypically for a sweetened dough containing yeast, panettone is not steamed during cooking.[25][32] Baking paper designed specially for panettones is sold commercially.[26] After baking, panettone is hung upside down as it cools, preventing the bubbles in the dough from collapsing. In a commercial bakery this may be done with special equipment, and in smaller batches they may be hung between tables, suspended with wooden skewers.[26]
Panettone has a cupola shape, which extends from a cylindrical base and is usually about 12–15 centimetres (4+1⁄2–6 inches) high for a panettone weighing one kilogram (two pounds). Other bases may be used, such as an octagon, or a frustum with a star section shape more common to pandoro. It is made during a long process that involves curing the dough, which is acidic, similar to sourdough. The proofing process alone takes several days, giving the cake its distinctive fluffy characteristics. Variations include plain or with chocolate.
Serving
It is served in wedge shapes, vertically cut, accompanied with sweet hot beverages or a sweet wine, such as Asti or Moscato d'Asti. In some regions of Italy, it is served with crema al mascarpone, a cream made by combining eggs, mascarpone, and a sweet liqueur.
Panettone is sometimes served in its baking paper, which is often sold decorated with designs.[26]
Leader, Daniel; Chattman, Lauren (2019). Living Bread: Tradition and Innovation in Artisan Bread Making. New York: Avery Publishing. ISBN978-0-735-21383-8.
Levene, Alysa (2016). Cake: The Short, Surprising History of Our Favourite Bakes. London: Headline. ISBN978-1-4722-2684-6.
Maltz, Samuel A (1992). Bakery Technology And Engineering (3rded.). Springer. ISBN978-0-442-30855-1.
Orsini, Joseph (2007). Italian Baking Secrets. New York: Thomas Dunne Books. ISBN978-0-312-35820-4.
Paston-Williams, Sara (2012) [1983 as The National Trust Book of Traditional Puddings]. Good Old-Fashioned Puddings. London: National Trust. ISBN978-1-907-89234-9.
Rinsky, Glenn; Rinsky, Laura Halpin (2009). The Pastry Chef's Companion. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN978-0-470-00955-0.
Suas, Michel (2009). Advanced Bread and Pastry: A Professional Approach. Clifton Park, New York: Delamar Cengage Group. ISBN978-1-4180-1169-7.
Whitley, Andrew (2009) [2006]. Bread Matters: The State of Modern Bread and a Definitive Guide to Baking Your Own. London: Fourth Estate. ISBN978-0-00-729849-5.
Further reading
Lo Russo, Giuseppe (2004). Dolce Natale (in Italian). Fratelli Alinari. ISBN8872924731.
Porzio, Stanislao (2007). Il panettone. Storia, leggende, segreti e fortune di un protagonista del Natale (in Italian). Datanova. ISBN9788895092317.
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