You don't have to be Italian to appreciate and crave for panettone on a regular basis. While Italian food is not known for this fruit-topped, sweet bread, it is indeed a staple. If America has fruit cake and the English have pound cake for the holidays, cylindrical Panettone is the Italian counterpart - and many love it!

How the Panettone Came to Be (we need to find a better one than this)

The original bread recipe is said to have originated from Milan, but there are hundreds of variations on the story of how it got its name. According to legend, a Milanese baker named Toni had a beautiful daughter and one of his bakers wanted to marry her. In an effort to win her hand,the baker made a one-of-a-kind sweet bread and filled it with chopped sweet fruits and other luxurious ingredients. The bread was christened €Pan ad Toni€ or Toni's bread. As the story goes, the baker got to marry Toni's daughter and Toni himself became wealthy and famous because of the bread.

Whether that story is true or not, Panettone has become a much loved traditional Italian food and the tradition of making them is passed on from generation to generation.

Panettone in America

Panettone is a kind of bread that you'll see grandmothers teaching very young kids on a lazy Sunday afternoon or during Christmas break. It is sweet and combined with either fresh or candied fruits and is ideal to be eaten for breakfast with cappuccino or espresso; or as a dessert paired with sweet wine.

One good thing about this kind of bread is that it keeps very well - up to two months in the freezer. This means that you can bake lots of panettone in advance if you're planning to give it away as gifts for the holidays. Alternatively, you can also enjoy more of this delicious bread by storing several pieces from Christmas. Just wrap it tightly with tin foil and then cover with some newspaper or a towel and store in the freezer for up to two months. When it's time to consume the panettone, defrost it slowly. Do not microwave because this might cause the bread to become crumbly. Many people use panettone as the base for french toast.

Where to buy Panettone

Panettone only is imported one time per year, for Christmas. It be challenging to find places that sell panettone all year round. There are a few places on the web that you can find panettone year-round. They range significantly in quality and price. Some are even as high as $50 a piece! If you are looking to cook with it the La Florentine Panettone is perfect. If you are looking for something to impress, try a high-end panettone like Flamigni.

Make Your Own Panettone

If your idea of Italian food always has to have panettone, then you're better off making the bread yourself. In other parts of the world, this kind of bread is hard to come by. If you do find it, you might be surprised that it costs a lot more than you might be willing to pay for. So the best solution would be to gather up these ingredients, roll up your sleeves and start making panettone.

As with other breads, panettone starts with a dough. Unlike other breads, panettone dough takes a long time to rise so it is ideal to start the process the day before or very early in the morning.

You can choose what kinds of nuts and fruits you would like to add to your bread. Among the popular choices are finely diced marron glac©, dried cherries, candied berries, and even chopped caramel apples. For toppings, you can use almonds and walnuts, among other things.