Panettone Dessert Pizza

Panettone (if done right) is not only delicious, it’s a “world-famous, yeast-leavened cake, whose sales reach their peak during the weeks before Christmas.” A fresh panettone should be like a rich and fluffy brioche studded with dried fruit and sometimes chocolate, a delicious addition to any Christmas table.

Panettone has been a Milan speciality since the 19th century, and here, Milan-based and award-winning chef Lorenzo Sirabella merges the classic dessert with another Italian staple: pizza. It can take up to two days to make panettone, a process that involves hanging it upside-down after baking to prevent collapsing. Lorenzo’s recipe is far less complicated and uses plenty of eggs for an extra soft and fluffy crust, plus classic ingredients like vanilla, grated orange and lemon, sugar, butter and raisins. The icing on this pizza cake is made of almond flour and sugar, with a final sprinkling of slivered or whole almonds, adding a hint of nuttiness to balance out the citrus. Lovely for any gathering, this panettone dessert pizza also works well for a sweet brunch the next day.

Difficulty

Servings

Three 320-gram panettone pizzas

Prep Time

40 minutes

(excluding dough prep and proof time)
Cook Time

20 minutes

By Lorenzo Sirabella

Panettone Dessert Pizza

Note

This recipe takes a bit of time; be sure to set aside about 5 hours to prep and proof the dough before cooking. If using a vanilla bean, cut the pod in half lengthwise, then use the back of a knife to scrape out the brown flecks inside. While optional, you can also add whipped cream and custard to the top of the pizza panettone as an extra touch for visual appeal.

For the dough

1. Crack your eggs, placing the yolks into a medium bowl – be sure to save the whites in a separate bowl for the icing.

2. Beat the egg yolks with a fork and measure out 130 grams.

Discard any remaining yolk.

3. In a medium-sized bowl, mix the yeast with the milk.

Pour the flour into the bowl of your stand mixer, then add the milk mixture, followed by the egg yolks.

4. Mix at the lowest speed for 1 to 2 minutes, then gradually increase to medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes.

When the bowl of the mixer is clean and all the ingredients are well blended, add the salt, vanilla pod or paste, grated orange zest and lemon zest.

5. Knead the dough for 2 minutes at the lowest speed.

Add the sugar and mix for 1 minute. Once all the sugar has been absorbed, add 1 heaped teaspoon of the soft butter at a time.

Tip: If too much butter is added at once, much of it will end up on the sides of the bowl. If this happens, stop the mixer and use a spatula to scrape the bowl's sides and try to fold it into the dough. Turn the mixer back on and gradually increase the speed before adding more butter.

6. Once the butter is well blended (about 10 minutes), let the dough rest for 10 minutes.

Add the raisins to the dough and knead for 2 minutes on low speed.

7. Remove the dough from the bowl of the stand mixer and dump it out onto a lightly floured surface.

Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let it rest at room temperature for 1 hour.

8. Using a bench scraper and digital scale for accuracy, divide the dough into three 320-gram pieces.

Form into 3 balls and cover them with a damp cloth, or place in a dough box and let rise for 1 hour.

9. Butter three skillets or round pans of 9 to 10 inches (22 to 24 centimetres) in diameter.

(This will help give the top of your panettone a nice shine and extra buttery flavour.)

10. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough balls very gently with the help of a rolling pin, aiming for a thickness of about ½ inch (1 centimetre) and a diameter of 9 to 10 inches (22 to 24 centimetres).

11. Transfer the dough to the buttered skillets or pans.

Be sure they are pressed well into the edges but not over the rim. Cover each skillet or pan with a damp cloth and let rise for about 2 hours.

Tip: this technique will ensure that your panettone pizza gets a nice buttery crust on the outside!

12. About 30 minutes before you are ready to cook, preheat your oven, bringing it to 300 °C (570 °F), then gradually lower the temperature to 180 °C (350 °F).

You can check the temperature accurately and from a safe distance with a digital infrared thermometer.

For the icing

1. Prepare the icing by combining the almond flour, sugar and rice (or corn) starch in a medium bowl.

2. Add the 2 egg whites you reserved from the dough preparation to the bowl a little at a time and mix until you have a soft and spreadable consistency.

Pour this mixture into a pastry bag. (You can also spread the icing on the dough with the back of a spoon.)

For the assembly

1. Once the dough has finished rising, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface.

Evenly pipe or spoon ⅓ of the icing onto the dough. Add the sliced almonds as a finishing touch.

Two hands placing almonds on top of an uncooked pizza panettone on a lightly floured surface.

2. Place the dough on a lightly floured peel and launch it into the oven.

Cook for about 20 minutes, turning every few minutes for an even bake.

Cooked pizza panettone on an Ooni Pizza Turning Peel coming out of an Ooni Koda 12 on top of an Ooni Modular Table.

3. Remove the panettone pizza from the oven and let it cool for at least an hour before slicing and serving.

(If you like, you can also decorate the top of the pizza with whipped cream and custard.) Repeat the steps with the remaining dough rounds.

Lorenzo Sirabella

Lorenzo Sirabella (@lorenzosirabella) is a Neapolitan pizza chef based in Milan, Italy. Since 2018, he’s worked at Dry Milano, a pioneering venue for pizza and cocktail pairings. He’s received many awards, including making the list of Italy’s Top 50 Pizza in 2022 and 2020 and the Pastry in Pizzeria Olitalia Award.

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