Panettone is a traditional Italian dessert bread served during the Christmas season. This recipe is designed to let a bread machine do the major work for you.

While there are variations of panettone found all over Italy, the classic version is from Milan. The Milanese take panettone seriously. They are attempting to pass a law to regulate the use of the word "panettone". As with Champagne, no version of this Christmas bread could use the name unless it came from Milan.

This version is created for bread machines. Be careful not to add the candied fruit with the other ingredients. Most machines have a timer for adding fruit to bread. I prefer to wait until the dough is mixed and add the candied mixed fruit. It needs more chopping than the raisin or citron.

Ingredients

• 1 Tbs sugar
• 2/3 cup warm milk
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups bread flour
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp bread machine yeast
• 1/4 cup candied mixed fruit
• 1/8 cup raisins
• 1/8 cup citron
• 1 tsp anise or fennel seed
• 1 Tbs lemon zest, grated

Directions

1. Place the first 8 ingredients into the pan of your bread machine in order listed.
2. Select the dough cycle.
3. Add the chopped fruit 15-20 minutes before the last kneading cycle ends.
4. When the nut or fruit signal sounds add the remaining fruit, lemon zest, and anise seed.
5. If you need to allow the dough to rise, place in a warm spot, covered with a cloth. Let rise for 1 - 1 1/2 hours, until double in size.
6. When the dough is done place the pan in a preheated oven and bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes. A skewer should come out clean when done.

Note: Before beginning this recipe, please be familiar with your bread machine. Makes and models differ and it is impossible to include all variations of the recipe. You may dust the cooked bread with powdered sugar, or cover with a simple glaze. Serve with a nice asti spumante

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Tony's Bread: An Italian Folktale, by Tomie De Paola
This is a great gift to share with a young baker. De Paola presents a humorous vision of the origins of panettone. There's a love story, a friendly baker, and "aunties" in the place of the typical fairy godmothers. The illustrations are the gentle colors and rounded shapes that De Paola is famous for. An excellent merging of food and folktale.