I went years upon years thinking that I disliked panettone. It might have been because the panettoni (which is plural for panettone, by the way) that were gifted to us, were just mere shadows of what panettone is supposed to be. Memories of panettone, if you please. I always politely declined slices of this yeasted, fruit and nut studded cake at any holiday gatherings.
That all changed a few seasons ago when my parents dropped off a gorgeous panettone from Tre Mari Bakery. We sliced it open on a whim, and next thing you know, we were halfway through it, standing at the kitchen counter. The cake was soft and pillowy, yet satisfyingly chewy, filled with fragrant citrus, plump raisins, and slivers of almonds.
What a fool I was, when I think of all the pane-tunities I missed out on.
Since then, I’ve tried locally made panettone from a few Toronto spots, and they’ve all been delightful. I look forward to the holiday season every year (for many reasons), but especially when local bakers start teasing their test batches, new flavors, and, finally, the moment their cakes are ready to be devoured.
Of course, the labour involved in making panettone often makes them quite pricey. Plus, I don’t always want to commit to finishing an entire cake once I’ve sliced into it. With both these ceveats in mind, I decided to make panettone muffins instead — a perfect solution while I wait for panettone season to hit Toronto.
A few notes about the recipe
Dried and candied fruit
You can use store bought dried and candied fruit for these muffins, to make this recipe more streamlined and easy to whip up.
But if you have any desire to make candied fruit yourself at home, it’s super easy, and most of all, can be so much more delicious than the store bought stuff. Camilla Wynne is the queen of candied fruit. She shared her all-purpose candied fruit method over at Nicola Lamb’s Kitchen Projects Substack, and also her candied fruit peel method over at Andrew Jangjigian’s Wordloaf Substack. Or you can buy her newest book, Nature’s Candy, from your favourite local bookstore because it’s a gem.
I would highly recommend that you make your own candied peel for this recipe, and at the same time, stock up for future holiday baking. Candied fruit keeps beautifully in the fridge for a few months, minimum.
For this batch of muffins, I used a mix of homemade candied grapefruit, orange and lemon peel, as well as sultana raisins. You can mix and match your fruit based on personal preference and taste.
Hydrating the fruit
I used a 50/50 ratio of brandy and candied orange syrup, but feel free to play around with the ratios based on preference. You can substitute the hydration liquids with apple juice or orange juice, or use whatever dark alcohol you have on hand, like a spiced rum, or bourbon or whiskey.
If you can plan ahead, mix the fruit with the hydration liquid the night before, let it sit on the counter to soak in the liquids overnight. If you are in a rush, mix the fruit and liquid in a bowl, and heat it up in the microwave until hot. Let that cool until you’re ready to mix into the batter and bake.
Fiori di Sicilia
When I think of panettone, I think of Fiori di Sicilia. It’s an extract that combines bright and floral citrus notes with vanilla. If you do not have Fiori di Sicilia, substitute with 2 tsp vanilla extract, or a mix of vanilla extract (1 tsp) and orange blossom water (2 tsp).
How to make bakery style muffins
I love a tall muffin dome, and there are a few things that I will do to ensure a nice, full rise:
Rest my batter in the fridge for at least 20 minutes, to allow the flour to absorb and the gluten to relax. I won’t preheat the oven until the muffin batter is resting in the fridge.
Fill muffin cups to the top - no 3/4 full muffin cups here. More batter means a higher rise.
Only fill every other muffin cup in the baking pan - because you are filling the cups all the way to the top, you don’t want the domes to bake into each other. Filling only every other cups also allows for better air circulation and heat conduction for a nice rise.
Bake at a high initial temperature, and then a lower temperature for the remainder. I bake at 425F for 8 minutes, and then drop down to 400F for the remaining 10-12 minutes. The initial high temperature will coax your baking powder to react right away, while the remaining time at a slightly lower temperature will bake the muffin all the way through
Panettone muffins
Swap in your favourite dried fruits if you like, and feel free to add slivered almonds or other chopped nuts—just keep the total add-ins between 250g and 300g for the best batter-to-fruit ratio.
This recipe makes 16-18 muffins, depending on your muffin pan (which, let’s be honest, are never truly standard-sized), and how full you fill the cups.
I prefer using standard muffin liners for this recipe - the muffin peels easily away from the liner, with no cake loss. You could skip the muffin liner, and grease the muffin cups with oil or butter instead. Or you could use tulip liners and make the muffins even bigger - the yield would be less, and the bake time would be slightly longer.
Ingredients:
250g-300g dried fruit, candied fruit, and/or nuts (I used candied grapefruit, orange, lemon peel, and sultana raisins)
60g hydration liquid (I used a 50/50 mix of brandy and candied orange syrup)
420g all-purpose flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
150g buttermilk
150g sour cream or thick yogurt (Greek or Balkan)
50g fresh orange juice (juice of one orange)
zest of one orange
220g granulated sugar
90g butter, room temperature
60g vegetable oil
1.5 tsp kosher salt
2 large eggs
1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp fiori di Sicilia
Turbinado sugar or pearl sugar (optional, for decoration and crunch)
Instructions:
Hydrate the fruit: Combine your dried fruit with the hydration liquid in a bowl. Let it soak overnight, or microwave until hot and set aside to cool.
Mix dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
Mix wet ingredients: In another medium bowl, combine the buttermilk, sour cream, and orange juice.
Start your batter: In the bowl of a stand mixer, add sugar and orange zest. Rub the zest into the sugar until fragrant. Add butter, and using the paddle attachment, mix on medium-high speed until thoroughly combined, scraping down the sides as needed, for about one minute.
Incorporate oil and salt: Add the vegetable oil and salt, and mix on medium-high until light fluffy.
Add eggs and extract: Add the eggs, egg yolk, and Fiori di Sicilia. Mix until well combined, about 20-30 seconds.
Add dry and wet ingredients: Add half of the flour mixture, mixing on low for about 10 seconds. Scrape down the bowl, then add all of the milk mixture and mix briefly. Finish by adding the remaining flour mixture, mixing on low for another 10 seconds.
Fold in the fruit: Using a spatula, fold in the soaked fruit mixture, being careful not to over mix. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.
Chill the batter: Cover the bowl and refrigerate the batter for at least 20 minutes.
Preheat oven and prepare muffin pans: Preheat your oven to 425°F. Line every other muffin cup with liners or grease them. If you only have one pan, bake in batches, keeping the batter refrigerated.
Fill and top muffins: Fill the muffin cups to the top, and sprinkle with turbinado or pearl sugar (optional).
Bake the muffins: Bake at 425°F for 8 minutes on the middle rack (both my muffin pans fit side-by-side on the oven rack). Without opening the oven door, reduce the temperature to 400°F and bake for another 10-12 minutes, until golden on top, and a toothpick tester comes out clean.
Cool the Muffins: Transfer the muffins out of the muffin pan onto a wire rack to cool. Allow the pan to cool before baking the next batch, and remember to preheat the oven back to 425°F.
Snack-sized spotlight: local bites
A few local places that we love to get out panettone from:
These look so good! I have a glut of beautiful candied fruit which I've hoarded, and was thinking I need to start putting it to good use. Looks like I'll be making these over the weekend! Thank you!