Panettone

Panettone is a dome-shaped, slow-leavened sweet bread studded with candied fruit and raisins. It's Milan's Christmas loaf, famous — among people who bake it, at least — for a natural-yeast starter and proofing schedule that can stretch out over several days before it ever sees an oven.

What it actually is

An enriched dough built on a fermented natural starter (lievito madre) is proofed through several long, slow rises, folding in butter, egg yolks, sugar and a generous amount of candied fruit and raisins along the way. It's baked in a tall paper mould that gives it its signature dome, then — critically — hung upside down to cool for hours, which is what keeps the delicate, air-filled crumb from collapsing under its own weight while it's still warm.

The long fermentation is what gives panettone its shelf life; a well-made one stays soft for weeks, which is exactly why it became the Christmas gift loaf rather than something baked the morning it's eaten.

How it's served

• Sliced into wedges from the dome, at room temperature.
• With a sweet wine or mascarpone cream alongside, for dipping or spreading.
• Around Christmas and New Year, when it's as much a gift as a dessert.

Writing it on a menu

• Flag gluten, egg and dairy; the enriched dough carries all three.
• Note if your panettone is made with a natural starter over several days, since that's the genuine craft version worth naming, distinct from a quick commercial recipe.
• Say if a chocolate chip version is available alongside the classic candied-fruit one, since some guests actively avoid candied peel.
• Mention that it keeps for weeks, which makes it a sound gift item or make-ahead dessert rather than something baked to order.