HOW TO EAT PANETTONE — Grand Central Bakery (2024)

HOW TO EAT PANETTONE — Grand Central Bakery (1)

Properly made fresh Panettone is one of the joys of the Holiday season. We’re not talking about the dried-out tasteless cake that pops up in supermarkets around Christmas.

Grand Central Bakery Panettone is tender, gently sweet, and beautifully wrapped - like a glorious edible Christmas gift.

It takes a full three days to make this dome-shaped Italian bread, and here’s why.

HOW TO MAKE PANETTONE

  • Start with local ingredients. We use NW grown unbleached and whole-grain flours from Camas Country Mill and Small’s Family Farm, house-candied organic Valencia orange peel, flame raisins, and plump Vincent Family Farms Oregon Cranberries.

  • Mix the dough - careful, now! Panettone dough is enriched with butter and eggs, swirled with candied citrus, dried fruit, vanilla, and honey. This requires several stages of very gentle mixing with a rest in between.

  • Form and finish. We portion the dough into special wax paper molds, where it rests again and rises into a beautiful dome. Before baking, the tops are scored and brushed with beaten egg.

  • There’s more! To keep this light, delicate bread from collapsing as it cools, we hang it upside down to cool. Tricky but very effective!

  • The final step: Wrapping the cooled loaves in a pretty package for giving.

Now let’s talk about how to enjoy it.

HOW TO EAT PANETTONE — Grand Central Bakery (2)

WHEN TO EAT PANETTONE

Panettone is delicious for breakfast, as a snack or a bite with tea, or after dinner with a glass of sparkling or dessert wine.

Panettone keeps exceptionally well, and some say it improves with age.

HOW TO SERVE PANETTONE

  • Slice into thin pieces. Use a serrated knife and going top to bottom like a cake. Serve with your favorite warm beverage.

  • Tear and dip. No need for a knife; just set it out, tear off pieces, and pour a glass of milk for dunking.

  • Heat it up. Not necessary, but delicious. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees. Unwrap packaging but keep the Panettone in its paper mold. Heat in oven (not microwave) for 5-10 minutes.

  • Toast it and butter it. Great if you want a little at a time. Enjoy and toasted slice now, keep the rest for later.

  • Make French Toast. You thought Challah made great French Toast? Get ready for your new favorite special breakfast. Syrup optional!

How to be a perfect guest

Give Panettone as a host or hostess gift and you will always be invited back.

Find Panettone starting early December through Christmas eve, or while supplies last. Available for in-store* purchase; order online for Christmas or New Year’s.

*Also available at PCC and Metropolitan Markets in Seattle.

HOW TO EAT PANETTONE — Grand Central Bakery (3)

HOW TO EAT PANETTONE — Grand Central Bakery (2024)

FAQs

Do Italians eat panettone with butter? ›

Panettone can be eaten in a variety of ways. It's commonly sliced and enjoyed as is, but it can also be toasted, buttered, used in desserts like bread pudding, or even paired with savoury dishes.

Do you eat panettone with jam? ›

Take a slice of panettone and toast it lightly. Spread with butter and maybe some jam. I have made bread and butter pudding with it before. that was amazing.

Do I refrigerate panettone? ›

To preserve its freshness, keep it tightly sealed in the bag that it comes in and store it at room temperature away from direct heat or sunlight. Enjoy panettone at room temperature or lightly toasted for 2-3 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit and pair it with a coffee, tea, or dessert wine.

Is panettone served hot or cold? ›

You SHOULD NOT serve Panettone hot, just slightly warm it up to activate its orangy flavor. The right temperature to serve it is about 25°C-77°F. Slice Panettone using a serrated knife for bread. Serve it with my Panettone Frosting and Italian Prosecco wine in a flute glass!

How is panettone traditionally served? ›

It's common to serve it with a sweet wine and an accompaniment of something rich and creamy, perhaps based on mascarpone (with egg yolks, as used in tiramisu), plus dried or candied fruits.

What do Italians drink with panettone? ›

VINO. No Italian dish is complete without wine – not even panettone! We suggest serving it alongside a glass of Moscato d'Asti. Sweet and sparkling, this bubbly wine is great for holiday toasting and compliments the citrus and yeasty flavors of the panettone.

What's so special about panettone? ›

The 'mother yeast' gives the bread its irreplaceable texture and sweet, almost imperceptibly-tangy flavour. It also means that each bakery's panettone has its own specific flavour.

Why is panettone so expensive? ›

Panettone tends to be a little more expensive than most other baked goods, mainly due to the amount of time that goes into making each one. A traditional panettone is usually a lengthy procedure, however, a cheap mass-produced alternative will take shortcuts in the baking process which will be reflected in its taste.

Do you eat panettone with coffee? ›

Traditionally, Italians will eat panettone for breakfast alongside coffee, however there are a multitude of ways it can be served. So, we've devised a list of our favourite preparation methods & pairings to elevate your Christmas panettone eating experience to the next level.

What time of day do you eat panettone? ›

WHEN TO EAT PANETTONE. Panettone is delicious for breakfast, as a snack or a bite with tea, or after dinner with a glass of sparkling or dessert wine. Panettone keeps exceptionally well, and some say it improves with age.

Can you eat panettone on its own? ›

On its own The most traditional way to enjoy panettone is simply on its own. This will allow you to really taste a high-quality panettone and activate all senses through its raw ingredients.

How do you eat store bought panettone? ›

You can eat panettone right out of the bag/box. You can pull off big chunks and shove them in your mouth, or you can try to be a bit more civilized and use a serrated knife to cut slices.

Is panettone a bread or cake? ›

Instantly recognisable for its tall, domed shape, panettone is more a bread than a cake, its sweet dough studded with candied fruits and raisins. Popular worldwide, it's usually pinpointed for its two main associations: with Christmas and with Italy.

Is panettone dry or moist? ›

It is a very rich Orange scented bread full of rum soaked dried fruit (mostly raisins) and mixed peel. Moist soft crumb, and the citrus scent makes you want to go for more. Even though this is such a pleasure to eat, it may not be the case when it comes to making the panettone.

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