Sourdough panettone is an Italian Christmas brioche that originates in Milan and has a long history in the region. A panettone-like cake appears in a painting by Pieter Brueghel from the 16th century. Because it contains a large amount of butter, sugar, egg yolks and fruit and nuts – all very difficult for sourdough yeast to rise against- it is fiendishly difficult to make. The pros can produce it with marvelously large bubbles – a wide open crumb – and with a pillowy soft texture; I can get close to this and my panettone loaves are certainly more tasty than the ones you find in the supermarket around year end, which have been mass produced in Italy and shipped by container here.
Additional Resources
- This is From Roy
- True Italian Panettone! – ChefShop.com
- The Culinary History of Panettone, the Italian and South American Christmas Treat – Smithsonian Magazine