Homemade Savory Panettone

The savory panettone is a salty version of the traditional Milanese panettone, usually consumed during the Christmas holidays. This variant is often filled with different layers of cold cuts, cheeses, and other delicacies, making it ideal as an appetizer or buffet dish. Here is how to prepare it:

Ingredients

• 500g of Manitoba flour (or alternatively, a high-strength flour)
• 150g of lukewarm milk
• 100g of soft butter
• 70g of sugar
• 3 medium eggs
• 1 cube of fresh brewer’s yeast (about 25g) or 7g of dehydrated brewer’s yeast
• Grated zest of 1 untreated lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1 egg yolk for brushing

For the filling:

• Assorted cold cuts (cooked ham, raw ham, salami, etc.)
• Assorted cheeses (emmental, mozzarella, fontina, etc.)
• Grilled vegetables in oil (eggplants, zucchini, peppers)
• Sauces and creams at will (mayonnaise, mustard, etc.)

Preparation

1. Dissolve the yeast in a part of the lukewarm milk with a teaspoon of sugar.
2. In a bowl, pour the sifted flour and make a well in the center, where you will add the eggs, the dissolved yeast, the soft butter in pieces, the salt, the remaining sugar, and the lemon zest.
3. Work the ingredients starting from the center, gradually adding the remaining milk, until you get a soft and slightly sticky dough.
4. Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead vigorously until you have a smooth and elastic mixture.
5. Put the dough in a bowl, cover it with a clean cloth and let it rise in a warm place for about 2-3 hours, or until it doubles in volume.
6. Once risen, take the dough, deflate it with gentle energy and divide the dough into multiple layers if you want to fill the panettone in a stratified way.
7. Roll out the first layer of dough on a panettone mold (or alternatively a round mold).
8. Fill each layer with finely cut cold cuts, cheeses, and vegetables, remembering to leave a free edge of about 1 cm to allow for the closing of the layers.
9. Overlay the layers of dough with filling and finish with a layer of dough.
10. Let rise again for about an hour.
11. Brush the surface with beaten egg yolk.
12. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for about 45 minutes until the panettone is golden (cover with aluminum foil if it browns too much on the surface).
13. Allow to cool completely before cutting and serving.

A curiosity: the choice of ingredients for the filling can vary greatly according to personal taste, allowing to create a unique savory panettone each time. Traditionally, it is preferable to use ingredients that are able to confer moisture to the dough, in order to keep the panettone soft and juicy.