Panettone is one of mine and my kids’ favorite things to eat at Christmastime. When I was planning my posts for Valentine’s Day, I had a big bag of tart cherries from Costco that I wanted to use. I thought it would be really fun to make panettone with them.

Though it’s normally made in Italy at Christmastime, I couldn’t think of a better way to make it than with little bursts of bright red cherry flavor. To balance out the taste, I also added some candied lemon zest.

cherry panettone with candied lemon zest

4 1/2 cups bread flour
2 packages instant yeast
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 cup warm milk
5 egg yolks
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups dried tart cherries, finely chopped
candied lemon zest, recipe follows

1. In the bowl of electric mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine flour, yeast, and sugar (if using regular yeast, dissolve first in the warm milk, then add with the wet ingredients). Add in milk, egg yolks, and salt. With the mixer on low, add in butter, a tablespoon at a time, until fully incorporated. Mix on medium low until dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Mix in cherries and lemon zest.

2. Place dough in a buttered bowl, and cover with buttered plastic wrap. Let rest in a warm place for 2-3 hours, or until doubled in size. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Divide dough into 12 pieces. Form each piece into a ball and place in cupcake papers, and then place in a muffin tin. Cover and rest until doubled in size.

3. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown on the tops. Brush the tops with softened butter. Allow to cool.

candied lemon zest

juice 1 lemon
zest of 5-6 lemons
1/2 cup sugar, plus more for coating
3 tablespoons water

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat to a simmer, and cook until syrup thickens. Remove zest from the syrup with a fork and drop in granulated sugar. Coat with granulated sugar. This will form a large mass of lemon zest. When cool, cut into small pieces.

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9 Responses to “cherry panettone with candied lemon zest”

1. Sylvie @ Gourmande in the Kitchen says:

   11 February 2011 at 5:42 am

   Your panettone has such a lovely crumb! Cherries and lemon zest are a nice combination of sweet and tart flavors to balance the richness of the bread.
2. Jen T says:

   11 February 2011 at 7:49 am

   Oh yum! Never heard of panettone. I better to to Italy next Christmas! This looks so good!
3. Jaime says:

   11 February 2011 at 11:17 am

   Thanks, Sylvie. I was surprised at how how well the crumb turned out, after only doing a quick batch instead of the way they make it in Italy.

   Jen T–I hope you do get to go to Italy sometime, but you could just visit me, and I’ll make it for you!
4. Connie (the write one) says:

   11 February 2011 at 8:21 pm

   It was yummy! Thanks, Jaime for my major award and my extra surprise! And thanks for being so awesome!
5. Barbara @ Modern Comfort Food says:

   12 February 2011 at 6:13 am

   Simply beautiful, Jaime! Although I’m an old hand at baking my own bread, I’m a blushing virgin when it comes to panettone. Love the combination of tart and (not too) sweet fruit flavors you’ve used here.
6. sharlene says:

   12 February 2011 at 10:12 am

   I’ve never thought of making my own panettone but my family loves munching on it around the holiday season!
7. marla says:

   13 February 2011 at 8:15 am

   Wish I had this beautiful panettone for breakfast today! Love the cherries & lemon combo.
8. Patricia Scarpin says:

   13 February 2011 at 2:42 pm

   I haven’t had panettone since Xmas – these are too beautiful!
9. valentine's day cupcakes with chocolate truffle frosting | sophistimom says:

   14 February 2011 at 11:30 am

   [...] hearts for my birthday. She also bought the cupcake papers, and the cool red and pink ones in the panettone pictures. Wasn’t she nice? I love it when friends know you well enough to give you exactly [...]