It might sound slightly premature to be talking about the holiday season, but hear us out before you make that judgment call. The truth is, there are a mere 122 days left until Christmas, even less time until Hanukkah since it kicks off earlier. This countdown doesn’t even calculate the remaining shopping days and shipping times. Once you work out those configurations, the holidays are much closer than they appear. Not to worry, however, your perfect holiday gift is already secured and waiting for you. Panettone makes the perfect authentic Italian holiday gift that will impress clients, satisfy hard-to-buy-for family members and show sweet thoughtfulness as a host present for your upcoming holiday events. Flora’s Fine Foods has the scope on everything you need to know about panettone, as well as the easiest way to order it – at florafoods.com. You’ll be so ahead of the game, you might even feel inclined to send us a thank you note. No notes of thanks needed, but we will accept a small sliver of your panettone.

All The Things You’ve Always Wanted To Know About Panettone

Panettone Ingredients + Deliciousness – If you were to explore the shopping districts of Italy during the holidays, you’d surely pass by countless Italians carrying beautifully wrapped or decorated panettone – the typical Italian Christmas dessert and an extremely popular gift of the season.

The panettone is known for its tall, dome shape and is recognized to be a holiday dessert from Italy…that may possibly be all many know about this holiday cake. In fact, many outside of the country of Italy, know what panettone is but have never actually savored a bite. So to get you up to speed if you’ve never had the pleasure, the panettone is a cake molded tall and made of leavened bread from sweet, rich dough with other mouthwatering ingredients like candied orange, citron, and lemon zest, as well as raisins, which are added dry and not soaked.

The most traditional way to serve your panettone, remove the paper or foil wrapper and cut with a sharp bread knife into thin, tall slices after your meal as a dessert over the Christmas holiday or during New Year’s festivities. Families in Italy, South America and, of course, the U.S. incorporate the serving of panettone into their holiday traditions. It’s always on hand for an unexpected holiday guest or a party host gift. It’s a special treat for excited little ones to enjoy with milk or Nutella as they await the holidays to arrive. From November to January, families across the globe can be found serving this holiday cake at coffee time, dessert and, well, anytime a celebration is called for.

A Little Panettone History – Panettone originated in Italy in the 1500s. It gets its holiday ties from its beginnings as a “luxury cake” that was only savored during religious celebrations. To be more specific, panettone hails from Milan, where it’s referred to as “pane di tono” or luxury cake. In the early 1900s, panettone became a mass produced, more readily available and consumed staple of the holiday season in Italy and the United States.

When panettone was first introduced to Italian society in the 1500s, yeast was a special ingredient that was hard to come by, so the now ubiquitous dessert was used solely for religious celebrations. In these early days of panettone production, the ingredients included three loaves of wheat bread —to symbolize the trinity. By the 1800s, panettone’s ingredient makeup changed to include butter, eggs, sugar and raisins. During the 20^th century, when panettone was being mass produced, the cake took its now signature dome shape, which is attributed to a baker who wanted to let the dough rise for 12 hours to create a light and airy result.

Panettone – An Italian Tradition – If you asked an Italian (especially one from Milan) about saving a slice of panettone at Christmas to eat on February 3^rd, they’d agree that’s the tradition. They may not do it themselves, but they know the story behind it. As old Italian folklore goes, San Biagio (in English known as Saint Blaise) saved a child who was choking with a piece of bread. San Biagio is also said to protect from sore throats. On February 3^rd, many traditionalists have a feast in Saint Blasé’s honor that, of course, includes the panettone saved in the freezer from Christmas.

Creative Ways To Enjoy Panettone – Panettone has evolved over the years to become a sweet dessert cake that is often served with dessert wine, coffee or tea. Here are some creative ways to serve up your panettone this holiday season:

• Add a dollop of mascarpone cheese.
• Use it to make French toast or toast it for breakfast.
• Freeze half of it for a special occasion (like a Saint Blasé feast on February 3^rd).
• Drizzle with melted chocolate, caramel or warmed honey.
• Add something unique to brunch selections or a cheeseboard.
• Replace ladyfingers in your tiramisu recipe with panettone.
• Following the cooking process as a grilled cheese, create a Nutella sandwich with thin slices of panettone.

As our mouths begin to water, thinking of fun and delicious ways to enjoy panettone, don’t let that distract you from the task at hand – getting prepared for the holiday season. Flora Fine Foods has you covered with authentic and easy to order panettone freshly baked in Italy – the perfect answer to your holiday shopping conundrums. Flora’s choices range in flavor from traditional to decadent chocolate chip, and you can even select gift wrapped options to bring a slice of Italian to your family and friends this holiday season. It’s the perfect gift to have on hand for neighbors, clients and the unexpected gift need. Be sure to order early. You’ll thank us later.

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