Panettone

There are many myths surrounding panettone. At first glance, it looks like an ordinary yeast cake with dried fruit and nuts — but if it were really "ordinary," every bakery would bake it. However, real panettone is a completely different world. Today, we will tell you why this Italian classic is so special.

Panettone originates from Milan, and its original name is Pane de Toni — Anthony's Bread, not "big bread," as is commonly believed. And although it is sometimes compared to a yeast cake, it is not actually an ordinary yeast cake.

Real panettone is made with sourdough. Not our classic Polish rye sourdough, but a special, unique sourdough made from wild yeast and bacteria that come from… grapes, not flour. These are what give panettone its unique aroma and texture.

In order for this sourdough to have the right strength, it needs to be fed 2-3 times a day for many months. That's hundreds of feedings, daily care, and patience. Only when the sourdough is stable and mature can work on the dough begin.

And that's not the end of the challenges.

Flour. You could write a whole separate story about it. If you ask for "panettone flour" in a store, they will either not understand you or think you have an unusual hobby. There is no such flour in Poland — and there probably never will be. Even Italian pizza flour won't work here. Yes, you can make something with our 450, but then forget about the structure, the taste, and the extraordinary durability of panettone — up to 3 months without any chemicals.

After a long search and even longer payments, a pallet finally arrives at your doorstep. With one bag of flour. Then the fun begins: cultivating wild yeast, unless you are fortunate enough to have already obtained a ready-made, mature sourdough starter.

Our sourdough starter is a real treasure — over 60 years of tradition, a living part of Italian craftsmanship. It has survived a long journey, been fed countless times, and remembers times that most of us have never even heard of.

Then comes the equipment: a mixer, a proofing chamber, the right oven, special molds, and pins for drying. And the process of making panettone itself takes over 50 hours, under precisely defined conditions. An old-timer like our sourdough starter needs time and peace — otherwise, it gets offended.

And the result?

Panettone — light, aromatic, springy, incredibly delicate. Antonio's bread, which has become a symbol of Italian Christmas and artisan craftsmanship.