🍰 Panettone
Also known as: panettone, Milanese Christmas bread, Italian Christmas cake
Italian Christmas sweet bread leavened with natural sourdough, with raisins and candied peel; its composition is set by an Italian ministerial decree of 22 July 2005.
Panettone is an Italian Christmas sweet bread with a soft, airy crumb that rises on natural sourdough. In Italy the name is protected by law: a ministerial decree of 22 July 2005 sets out what may be called panettone. It is a baked good with a round base and a cracked crust cut in a characteristic way, with long air pockets and the typical aroma of sourdough fermentation.
The decree lists what the dough must contain: wheat flour, sugar, category A eggs or egg yolk in amounts giving at least 4% yolk, butterfat of at least 16%, raisins and candied citrus peel of at least 20%, natural sourdough and salt. If raisins and candied peel are left out, the name has to say so. The decree was updated in 2017.
How does panettone differ from other Christmas sweets? Dresden Stollen also has fruit and butter, but it is a dense yeast bread with almonds, while panettone is a tall, light sourdough bread. Nürnberger Lebkuchen is gingerbread.
Why this matters to you: on an Italian pack, the word panettone means the dough has at least 16% butterfat and 20% raisins and candied peel; if there is no fruit, the name will tell you.
Facts
| Country | Italy |
|---|---|
| Legal basis | Italian ministerial decree of 22 July 2005 (amended 2017) |
| Raw material | ≥16% butterfat, ≥4% yolk, ≥20% raisins and candied peel; natural sourdough |
| Season | Christmas |
How it connects to Food traditions
🍰 Panettone → kind of → 🎄 Christmas food traditions → kind of → 🎎 Food traditions
Links
- Traditions
- 🧑🤝🧑 Italians
- Part of
- 🎄 Christmas food traditions
- Similar and different
- Dresden Stollen (Dresdner Christstollen)
- Part of which tradition?
- 🎄 Christmas food traditions
Frequently asked questions
Is it true that panettone can be made without raisins?
Yes, but then the name must say so; standard panettone has at least 20% raisins and candied peel under the 2005 decree.
How much butter is in panettone?
At least 16% butterfat and at least 4% egg yolk in the dough.
What makes panettone rise?
Natural sourdough (pasta madre), as required by the decree.
Panettone or Stollen: what is the difference?
Stollen is a dense bread with butter, fruit and almonds; panettone is a tall, light sourdough bread.
Is panettone protected like a PDO?
Not as an EU name; Italy protects the word panettone through a national decree on its composition.
What to read next
- 🧑🤝🧑 Italians — The people of Italy; their cuisine rests on wine, olive oil and cheese, and in 2025 the country made 44.4 million hectolitres of wine, the most in the world.
- Dresden Stollen (Dresdner Christstollen) — A Christmas yeast bread from Dresden with raisins, butter, candied peel and almonds; an EU protected geographical indication since 2008.
Similar
🎄 Christmas pudding · Roscón de Reyes · 🍰 Bolo-rei · Dresden Stollen (Dresdner Christstollen) · Nürnberger Lebkuchen · 🥃 Garibaldi
Sources
- Decreto 22 luglio 2005, Disciplina della produzione e della vendita di taluni prodotti dolciari da forno (GU n. 177, 1.08.2005)
- DM 16 maggio 2017, modifica del decreto 22 luglio 2005