Traditional Italian Chocolate Panettone Recipe
A traditional Italian Chocolate Panettone recipe featuring a soft, rich dough filled with chocolate chunks and chips, perfectly risen for a fluffy texture and baked to golden perfection. Ideal for festive occasions or a luxurious dessert.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
Dough Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 4 large eggs
- 1/2 cup warm milk
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Zest of 1 orange and 1 lemon
Filling
- 1 cup chocolate chunks (or mixed dried fruit)
- 1 cup chocolate chips
Optional
- Chocolate cream for piping
Instructions
- Activate Yeast: In a small bowl, combine the warm milk and yeast. Let it sit for 10 minutes until frothy and activated.
- Mix Dough: In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the softened butter, eggs, vanilla extract, and citrus zest. Gradually add the frothy yeast mixture and knead thoroughly until a smooth, elastic dough forms.
- First Rise: Cover the dough with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator. Let it rise overnight to develop flavor and texture.
- Add Chocolate: The next day, knead in the chocolate chunks and chocolate chips evenly throughout the dough.
- Second Rise: Transfer the dough to a greased paper panettone mold. Cover and let it rise in a warm spot until it doubles in size, about 2 hours.
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) to prepare for baking.
- Bake: Bake the panettone for 45 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool: Remove from the oven and let the panettone cool completely. Optionally, pipe in chocolate cream using a piping bag before serving.
Notes
- Use warm milk not hot to avoid killing the yeast during activation.
- Refrigerating the dough overnight helps develop better flavor and texture.
- If you don’t have a paper panettone mold, a tall, round baking pan lined with parchment paper will work.
- Make sure to fully cool the panettone before slicing to avoid crumbling.
- For a lighter flavor, substitute half the chocolate chunks with dried fruit like raisins or candied orange peel.
