what is panettone

Panettone is an Italian type of sweet bread, usually prepared and enjoyed for Christmas and New Year in Western, Southern, and Southeastern Europe as well as in South America, Eritrea, Australia, and the United States. The word panettone derives from panetto, a small loaf of bread, and the augmentative suffix -one changes the meaning to "large bread". Panettone is a yeast-leavened bread, usually made with raisins, candied fruit peels, almonds, and brandy. It is a soft cloud of finely textured, uniform dough with a bright yellow color, filled with sultana raisins and candied fruits. The dough, leavened with yeast, is allowed to rise for two days and then baked. Once it is ready, it is left for a whole day, then turned upside down to dry out. Panettone is the result of hours, actually days, of work for the experienced hands of pastry chefs, made through slow and patient work using top-quality ingredients. The origin of panettone is with the popular custom in the Middle Ages to celebrate Christmas with a bread richer than everyday bread. The oldest and most certain attestation of the panettone is found in a register of expenses of the Borromeo college of Pavia in 1599. Panettone is widely available in South America, including in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Colombia, Uruguay, Venezuela, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Peru.