LasVegasBuffetClub Blog

Preparing Panettone for Italian French Toast
photo LasVegasBuffetClub

When the Christmas season rolls around one sees so many of those red and gold boxes in the food stores; It’s the Italian, Christmas bread Panettone.

I doubt that it’s a coincidence that this regal loaf is shaped like a crown and embedded with jewel-like bits of fruit.

A slice of Panettone is usually toasted and buttered for breakfast or served with a bit of jam after Christmas dinner. This is a new twist on this tall, golden bread with raisins and bits of candied lemon and orange peel.

Krissy, A.K.A. “THE NAPKIN LADY” (*See her Napkin Folding video below) came up with this wonderful idea for Panettone: Panettone French Toast. Simply prepare a **standard French Toast egg-mixture, saturate a slice of Panettone with the egg-mixture, then fry it in a bit of [olive] oil, top it with butter, sliced fruit (strawberries, blackberries etc.) and/or jam or jelly. Hit it with a sprinkling of powdered sugar and serve with Maple syrup. This is a delightful twist on an old favorite.

**Since a slice of Panettone is usually much larger than a standard bread slice, add a tablespoon of orange juice to “stretch” the egg-mixture. I also add a shake or two of cinnamon.

Panettone and Coffee
photo LasVegasBuffetClub

“If I’m late to the table and you’ve been doing this for years it aien’t my fault and I’m sticking with that!”

Access a Wiki page for Panettone here

Legends, from the Wiki pages:
“Though the etymology of the word ‘panettone’ is rather mundane, three more complex and fanciful folk etymologies have arisen.”

“One suggests that the word derives from the Milanese, “pan del ton,” meaning “bread of luxury.”

“Another states that a 15th century legend from Milan credits the invention to the nobleman falconer Ughetto Atellani, who fell in love with Adalgisa, the daughter of a poor baker named Toni. To win her over, the nobleman disguised himself as a baker and invented a rich bread to which he added flour and yeast, butter, eggs, dried raisins and candied lemon and orange peel.”

“The duke of Milan, Ludovico il Moro Sforza (1452-1508), agreed to the marriage, which was held in the presence of Leonardo da Vinci, and encouraged the launch of the new cake-like bread: Pan de Toni (or Toni’s bread).”

“Another legend credits the cake being invented in the court of the Sforzas, but with the following story:

It was Christmas and the court cook had no dessert to offer. So the guests were given a sweet bread baked by a mere kitchen boy, called Toni, which won general praise. Rather than steal the praise for himself, the cook congratulated his assistant and named it after him.”

“The third, says that the invention was the work of sister Ughetta.”

From a Portuguese translation:
“An ancient legend says that the fruitcake was created in the seventeenth century by a baker in the region of Lombardy called Toni who fell in love with a girl and to impress his father created a new recipe for bread filled with candied fruit. [Com o tempo esse pão recebeu o nome de "pani di toni" ou seja o pão do toni que atualmente é chamado de panetone.] Over time the bread was called “pani di toni” that is the bread of Toni who is now called panettone.”

Here’s a recipe for Panettone. “Il Panettone Milanese - Milanese Panettone: Never made a panettone? To begin, some words of advice, which will be obvious if you have already made a panettone, but will help if it’s your first time.”

“Work the dough, if possible, with a dough mixer of the kind also used for making bread dough. Beating times with a mixer are on the order of 20 minutes, whereas hand-beating will require about 50″ read more…

*Watch Krissy the Napkin Lady’s video here.

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