Embark on a delightful baking journey with this exquisite sourdough panettone bread recipe, crafted to deliver a loaf that is supremely soft, incredibly light, and bursting with complex flavors! While traditional panettone might demand a little time and patience, the resulting masterpiece is undeniably worth every moment spent. Forget quick fixes; this recipe is designed to help you achieve the absolute best panettone, rivaling those from artisan bakeries.

Panettone is a quintessential sweet bread, cherished and served throughout Italy during the Christmastime festivities. These decadent, tall loaves are traditionally baked in special, decorative paper molds, making them an ideal and impressive culinary gift for the holidays! Imagine presenting this alongside a delectable stollen bread, or a selection of luxurious homemade jams such as a vibrant mixed berry jam, a comforting pumpkin butter, or a classic apple butter. The elegant presentation and rich flavors will surely impress any recipient.

The texture of this sourdough panettone is reminiscent of a rich, buttery brioche bread, but its flavor profile is elevated by the intricate complexities inherent to sourdough—much like my popular sourdough raisin bread. This depth is beautifully complemented by plump, brandy-soaked dried fruits and fragrant candied citrus peels, creating an unparalleled taste experience with every bite.

Table of Contents

• Why This is the Best Panettone
• Ingredients & Substitutions
• Variations for Your Panettone
• Professional Baking Tips
• 2-3 Day Panettone Baking Timeline
• How to Make Sourdough Panettone
• Chef Lindsey’s Recipe Tip
• Recipe FAQs
• Recommended Bread Recipes
• Panettone Recipe Card
• Before You Go

Essential Ingredients & Clever Substitutions for Panettone

• Dark Raisins: These provide a classic sweetness and chew. Beyond dark raisins, feel free to experiment with other dried fruits. Currants offer a tart counterpoint, while dried cherries, cranberries, or finely chopped dried apricots can introduce different flavor notes and colors. A mix of several dried fruits can create a more complex “soaker,” just like in my raisin bread recipe.
• Candied Orange Peel & Candied Lemon Peel: High-quality candied peels are crucial for authentic panettone flavor. They provide an intense citrus aroma and a lovely chewy texture. You can either purchase premium candied orange peel and lemon peel or, for an even more rewarding experience, make your own candied citrus peels at home. The difference in flavor is remarkable.
• Orange & Lemon Zest: Fresh zest from both orange and lemon adds an aromatic brightness that truly elevates the flavor of the soaker. The essential oils in the zest infuse beautifully into the dried fruits. For an extra citrusy kick, you could even substitute the water in the soaker with fresh orange or lemon juice, ensuring to measure it accurately for consistency.
• Water: Water is used in the soaker and for building the levain. Noticeably, there’s no additional water in the final dough mixture, which is typical for a rich panettone dough that derives its moisture from eggs and butter. Trust the process; the hydration is carefully balanced.
• Vanilla Extract: A good quality vanilla extract (or even vanilla bean paste) enhances the overall sweetness and complexity of the bread, adding a warm, comforting note that complements the citrus and dried fruits.
• Bread Flour: Utilizing bread flour in the levain build provides a slightly higher protein content, which is excellent for developing stronger gluten. This extra gluten strength is beneficial for supporting the rich, heavy panettone dough. However, if bread flour isn’t readily available, all-purpose flour can be used without significantly compromising the final result.
• Active Sourdough Culture: This recipe truly shines with an active and robust sourdough starter. It imparts unparalleled depth of flavor, a unique crumb structure, and natural leavening. If you don’t have a sourdough starter or prefer not to use one, a “poolish” makes an excellent substitute. A **poolish** is a wet preferment made with equal parts flour and water, combined with active dry yeast, and allowed to ferment for 4-18 hours. This long fermentation process helps to mimic some of the flavor complexity of natural yeast and contributes additional gluten strength. To maintain the recipe’s hydration ratios, a poolish is recommended over a stiffer biga. You’ll want to start your poolish in the morning of Day 1, concurrently with mixing the soaker.
• All-Purpose Flour: This forms the base of the final dough, providing a tender crumb. Its protein content, when combined with the strength from the levain, creates the ideal structure for panettone.
• Egg Yolks: Yes, your eyes are not deceiving you! This recipe calls for a substantial amount of egg yolks—approximately 10 large eggs—which are pivotal for panettone’s signature rich flavor, golden color, and incredibly tender, almost custardy crumb. Don’t waste those leftover egg whites! They can be frozen for future use in recipes like an airy angel food cake, light marshmallow fluff, fluffy marshmallow frosting, delicate marshmallows made with egg whites, or a classic Italian meringue buttercream, or simply used for omelets.
• Instant Yeast: A small amount of instant yeast is included to provide an extra boost of leavening, ensuring a consistent rise in this very rich dough. Instant yeast is preferred because it doesn’t require a “blooming” step in liquid, which is convenient since there’s no additional liquid added directly to the final dough.
• Kosher Salt: Essential for balancing the sweetness and enhancing all the other flavors. Don’t omit it; salt is key for a well-rounded taste.
• Sugar: Granulated sugar contributes sweetness, but equally important, it helps to keep the panettone moist and extends its shelf life by attracting and retaining water. It also provides food for the yeast and assists in browning the crust.
• Honey: A touch of honey adds a subtle layer of flavor and contributes to the dough’s moisture and softness. Its unique sugars also aid in fermentation and browning.
• Diastatic Malt Powder: This ingredient truly sets this recipe apart, bringing a professional touch. Diastatic malt powder contains active enzymes (amylase) that break down complex carbohydrates in the flour into simple sugars. These simple sugars are more readily available as food for the yeast, which accelerates fermentation, improves rise, and creates a more tender, open crumb. It also enhances crust color and flavor. While highly recommended for optimal results, you can omit it if unavailable; your panettone will still be delicious, just with slightly less enzymatic boost.
• Unsalted Butter: Generous amounts of high-quality unsalted butter are crucial for panettone’s signature richness, tender crumb, and incredible flavor. Ensure it’s at room temperature for easy incorporation into the dough.
• Belgian Pearl Sugar: For a beautiful, festive finish, brush the proofed loaves with an egg wash (beaten egg) and sprinkle with Belgian pearl sugar or Swedish pearl sugar before baking. These robust sugar crystals don’t melt completely, providing a delightful sparkly crunch and a touch of sweetness to the crust.

Refer to the comprehensive recipe card below for precise measurements and detailed instructions on all ingredients.

Creative Variations for Your Sourdough Panettone

Once you’ve mastered the classic panettone, feel free to get creative and customize it to your taste. Here are some delicious variations:

• Infuse Your Soaker with Juice or Alcohol: While water is traditional, many recipes, particularly in Italian baking, call for soaking dried fruits in brandy, rum, or other spirits to add a rich, aromatic depth. Orange juice or even apple cider can offer a delightful, non-alcoholic, and modern twist with unexpected sweetness. In bread school, we once let the soaker sit for two weeks – a long time, but truly, allowing extra time at each step profoundly develops more nuanced flavors.
• Expand Your Inclusions: Beyond the traditional dried fruits and candied citrus, consider incorporating a handful of toasted pistachios or chopped blanched almonds into the dough for added crunch and nutty flavor. If you’re a chocolate lover, chocolate chips or chunks are a fantastic addition! However, do not add them to your soaker; instead, incorporate them into the final dough along with the soaked fruit mixture to prevent them from melting prematurely. White chocolate, dark chocolate, or a blend can all work wonderfully.
• Mini Panettones for Gifting: For charming individual servings, divide the dough into 30g pieces and shape them like dinner rolls. Proof and bake them in individual panettone papers. These mini loaves are perfect for party favors, stocking stuffers, or a delightful treat with coffee, and often require slightly less baking time.

Professional Baking Tips for the Perfect Panettone

Achieving a truly exceptional panettone involves a few key techniques commonly used by professional bakers. Incorporating these tips will help you produce a panettone that’s light, airy, and bursting with flavor.

• Harness a Stronger Levain Build: This recipe utilizes a “stronger” levain build than a standard sourdough starter feeding. The active culture comprises 150% of the flour’s weight, significantly higher than the typical 10%. This robust levain injects more potent sourdough flavor and creates a much stronger gluten network faster, which is essential for the enriched panettone dough to hold its structure and achieve its characteristic airy crumb without extended fermentation times.
• Flexible Baking and Mixing Options: While this recipe outlines a traditional 2-3 day timeline for optimal flavor development, I’ve also provided guidance for adjusting the process. If time is a constraint, you can adapt some steps to complete the panettone in a single day. Each additional day of cold fermentation undeniably deepens the flavor and improves the texture, but rest assured, a one-day panettone will still be incredibly delicious and a truly satisfying bake.
• Cool Panettone Upside Down: This step, though not strictly mandatory, is a hallmark of traditional panettone baking and highly recommended. Hot panettones are traditionally inverted immediately after baking by being pierced with long skewers through their paper molds and then hung upside down. This prevents the rich, tender crumb from collapsing under its own weight as it cools, maintaining its impressive height and airy texture. You can easily replicate this professional setup at home by balancing a stainless steel pin or two long skewers between two tall, sturdy objects like cookbooks, vases, or even inverted bowls.

Optimized 2-3 Day Panettone Baking Timeline

This timeline offers a suggested schedule based on typical fermentation and rising times, designed to maximize flavor development. Remember, baking is an art influenced by your environment, so adapt as needed. The most important thing is to enjoy the process and not stress about exact timings, rather look for visual cues.

Day 1: Preparing Your Foundations

Morning: Mix all ingredients for your soaker (dried fruits, candied peels, zest, water/juice, vanilla). Combine thoroughly to moisten everything and cover. Let it sit at room temperature to allow the flavors to meld and the fruits to plump. For even deeper flavor, this soaker can be prepared up to two weeks in advance, or even longer if using alcohol, shaking or stirring every few days.

Evening: Feed your sourdough starter. This ensures it’s active, bubbly, and at its peak vitality when you’re ready to build the levain tomorrow morning. An active starter is crucial for successful leavening in this rich dough.

Day 2: Building and Bulk Fermentation

9:00 AM: Mix the sourdough levain build using the specific ratio provided in the recipe. Place it in a warm spot (ideally around 85°F / 29°C) to ferment for approximately 5 hours, or until it shows significant activity and has doubled in size. If your environment is cooler, it may take longer.

2:00 PM: Begin mixing the main panettone dough in your stand mixer. Once mixed, perform the initial bulk fermentation (proof) at room temperature for 1 hour. This allows the yeast and sourdough to start working their magic.

3:30 PM (or later): Gently cover the top of your panettone mold paper with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming. At this point, you have two options for the final proof: either refrigerate it overnight (which will significantly develop the best flavor and complex aroma) or, if you’re aiming for a one-day bake, continue the final proof for another 4-5 hours in a warm spot until the dough reaches the top edge of the mold.

Day 3: The Grand Bake

8:00 AM: If you chose the overnight refrigeration method, remove the panettone from the refrigerator. Allow it to final proof at room temperature for 3-4 hours. The dough should gradually rise and reach the very edge of the paper mold, indicating it’s ready for baking.

12:00 PM (or when fully proofed): Preheat your oven. Apply the egg wash and sprinkle with pearl sugar (if desired). Bake your panettone according to the recipe instructions, filling your home with an irresistible aroma!

How to Make the Best Traditional Sourdough Panettone

Follow these detailed steps to create an authentic and delicious Italian Christmas bread. Further specific measurements and additional tips can be found in the complete recipe card below.

Step 1: Prepare the Soaker (Day 1 Morning)
In a covered container, combine all the ingredients designated for the soaker: dark raisins, candied orange peel, candied lemon peel, fresh orange zest, fresh lemon zest, water (or citrus juice), and vanilla extract. Mix thoroughly until all the dried and candied fruits are well moistened. Cover the container and set it aside at room temperature. Allow it to sit overnight, or for an even deeper flavor infusion, for several days up to two weeks, shaking or stirring it every few days to redistribute the liquid and ensure even rehydration.

Step 2: Build the Levain (Day 2 Morning)
Approximately five hours before you plan to mix the main panettone dough, prepare your levain. Feed your active sourdough starter using the specific ratio provided in the recipe card (this will be a “stronger” build than usual). You can either prepare just the exact amount needed for the recipe and feed your remaining starter separately, or make 1.5-2 times the required amount to ensure you have enough for the recipe and some left over to feed your starter for future use. Allow the levain to ferment in a warm spot (ideally around 85°F / 29°C) for 5 hours, or longer if your kitchen is cooler, until it is very active, bubbly, and has doubled in size.

Mixing the Panettone Dough (Day 2 Afternoon):

Step 3: Combine Initial Dough Ingredients
In the bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine the all-purpose flour, the active levain you prepared, egg yolks, instant yeast, kosher salt, honey, and diastatic malt powder (if using). Begin mixing on low speed until all ingredients are just combined and a shaggy dough forms. Increase the speed to medium and continue mixing to develop some initial gluten structure. Once the dough starts to become smoother and more elastic, gradually add the granulated sugar in small batches, allowing each addition to fully incorporate before adding the next. This slow addition prevents the sugar from inhibiting gluten development.

Step 4: Incorporate the Butter
Once the sugar has been completely incorporated into the dough and it appears smooth and elastic (it should pass the windowpane test), gradually add the room-temperature unsalted butter, one small piece at a time. Continue mixing on medium speed until each piece is fully absorbed before adding the next. This process can take a little time, but it’s crucial for achieving panettone’s rich, tender crumb. The dough will look messy at first, but keep mixing; it will come together beautifully.

Step 5: Add the Soaker
After the butter is fully incorporated and the dough is once again smooth and elastic, gently add the prepared soaker mixture (all the soaked dried fruits, candied peels, and zest). Mix on low speed, just until the soaker is evenly distributed throughout the dough. Avoid overmixing at this stage to prevent tearing the gluten strands or bruising the fruits.

Step 6: Bulk Fermentation (First Rise)
Carefully turn the dough out into a lightly oiled large bowl. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap or a damp cloth to prevent drying. Allow the dough to bulk ferment (first proof) in a warm spot (around 85°F / 29°C) for 4-5 hours, or longer if your environment is cooler. The dough should visibly increase in size and appear puffy and active.

Step 7: Pre-Shaping the Dough
Gently turn the proofed dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. To pre-shape it into a round, carefully fold all four corners of the dough into the center, creating a somewhat square parcel. Then, flip the dough over so the seam-side is down. Using both hands, gently cup the dough and pull it towards you, tightening it into a smooth ball. This action creates surface tension. Cover the pre-shaped dough with plastic wrap and let it bench rest for 10-15 minutes. This short rest allows the gluten to relax, making the dough easier to handle for the final shaping.

Step 8: Final Shaping into a Boule
After the bench rest, it’s time for the final shape. Flip the dough over so the seam-side is facing up. Once again, fold all four corners of the dough into the center, sealing them securely. Then, flip the dough back over so the seam-side is down. Using the gentle pulling motion from the pre-shaping step, tighten the dough into a perfectly round boule with a smooth, taut top. This creates the necessary surface tension for a good rise in the mold.

Step 9: Place in Panettone Papers & Final Proof
Carefully place each shaped boule, seam-side down, into its individual panettone paper mold. Now for the final proofing: You can either proof in a warm spot for 4-5 hours until the dough rises to the very top edge of the paper, OR, for the absolute best flavor development, proof at room temperature for 1 hour, then cover the molds with plastic wrap and refrigerate them overnight. The cold proof allows for a slower, more complex fermentation, deepening the flavors.

Step 10: Final Proof at Room Temperature (Day 3 Morning)
If you opted for the overnight cold proof in the refrigerator, remove the panettone molds in the morning. Allow them to sit at room temperature for 3-4 hours. During this time, the dough will warm up and continue its final rise until it reaches the top edge of the panettone paper. This crucial step ensures a light, airy crumb structure. You’ll know it’s ready when it has significantly expanded and feels light and airy to the touch.

Step 11: Prepare for Baking
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). While the oven preheats, beat one large egg until it is loose and liquidy; this will be your egg wash. Once the dough has proudly risen to the top edge of the panettone papers, very gently brush the top surface of each loaf with the egg wash. If desired, sprinkle generously with Belgian pearl sugar crystals for a festive sparkle and a delightful crunch on the crust.

Step 12: Bake and Cool
Carefully place the panettone molds into the preheated oven. Bake for approximately 40-45 minutes. To ensure it’s fully baked, the internal temperature of the dough should reach 185°F (85°C) when measured with an instant-read thermometer. Once baked, immediately follow the professional tip for cooling upside down to prevent collapse and maintain the panettone’s beautiful, tall shape. Allow it to cool completely before slicing.

Sourdough Panettone Recipe FAQs

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Before You Go: Explore More Delicious Recipes

We hope you thoroughly enjoyed this professional chef-created recipe for traditional sourdough panettone. Baking at home can be incredibly rewarding, and there’s always more to explore! Be sure to check out our other delightful bread recipes to expand your baking repertoire. As the holiday season approaches, start planning your festive treats with our curated collections: discover the best Christmas cookies, try these easy Christmas cookie recipes, or delve into timeless traditional Christmas cookie recipes for a truly special holiday experience!