6 cups of flour
10 eggs
8 oz. of sugar
1 thick slice of Crisco
Zest of 2 lemons
Raisins (1/2 cup to a cup)
1 bag of yeast

Mix ingredients. Work into a soft dough.

Let the dough rest for a few hours until it rises.

Let the dough rest a few more hours (until it doubles in size).

Bake in a 350 degree F oven for about an hour. The crust should be thick and dark golden brown.

According to the contributor's aunt, Mrs. Adelaide Palazzo, prior to World War II "panettone" was only made for the Easter celebrations in Molise. However, when Italians came to Montreal in the 1950s, they started to make it for Christmas as well as for Easter. Later on, in the 1970s, boxes of imported "panettone" were sold in Montreal shops around the Christmas and Easter holidays so Italians bought them for both festivities. Nowadays, of course, boxes of "panettone" direct from Milan and other areas of Italy are available year round in Italian grocery shops, so for many third generation Italians "panettone" is no longer associated with any special festivity.... The photo was taken by Mary Melfi who tried the recipe and found it a bit difficult to do. She also discovered that this traditional "panettone" is less sweet than what is presently sold in the shops as "panettone." Obviously, in the old days, "panettone" was seen as a "holiday bread" rather than a cake. Nowadays the great tasting stuff Italy exports is as sweet, if not sweeter, than any North American doughnut.

Back to main list