photo credit: Mark and Allegra

Well here it is December already!  Are you thinking of making some Italian food gifts for the holidays?  Why not consider the lovely, fruity Panettone – Italian Christmas Bread.  Tradition has it that if you sip a bit of sparkling wine while having a piece of Panettone, you will be assured good health and good luck throughout the year.  Panettone can be eaten alone, or served with marscapone cheese, jams or butters.

You will find Panettone in either a tall dome shape or a flat round shape.  There are many variations of the recipe, but many are filled with candied fruits and raisins.  However, some are filled with chocolate and others are just plain.  If you make these and wrap them in pretty colored cellophane, they make marvelous Italian food gifts!

Most people believe that this recipe had its roots in Milan, Italy sometime around the 15th century.  Milan is a very romantic city, and there are many romantic stories about the origin of Panettone.

One legend speaks of a nobleman’s love for the daughter of a poor, struggling baker.  To win the heart of the pretty girl, the nobleman disguised himself as a baker and invented a new fruity cake-like bread.  Of course, the Panettone was a tremendous hit throughout the region and they all lived happily ever after.

Another legend speaks of a kitchen boy named Toni, of course!  He worked for a famous Duke who was throwing a massive Christmas banquet to impress all of his friends.  Unfortunately, the cook burned what the Duke felt was the crowning finish to his lavish meal – THE DESSERT!   Toni jumped in to save the day.  He found some leftover dough and mixed it with butter and candied fruit and baked it.  The Duke’s guests raved about Toni’s creation and the Duke declared that from that day forward, the bread would be called “Pan de Toni” – bread of Toni.  So many believe it was eventually just shortened to Panettone.

If you would like to try your hand at making these for Italian food gifts, I recommend you checking out this site.  It is a fabulous place to “visit”, and they show you the overnight method of making Panettone which results in a moister Panettone with more staying power than the quicker version.  www.KingArthurFlour.com.

Here you can watch Panettone being made in an Italian bakery!

Mangia Bene!