Just in time for the holidays, my gluten free panettone will make you feel like you've gone to Italy for the real deal! Buttery, feathery, light, and citrusy, you will be blown away by how wonderful it is!!
I posted this recipe last December and am updating now with new pics and a VIDEO!! (check out my YouTube channel for the full video), plus a few new tips and tricks! The greatest thing about this recipe, other than the end result is UH-MAZING, is that you can make it minutes. Seriously! After the initial mixing of the dough, on baking day the total hands-on time is approximately 5 minutes!!
WHAT IS PANETTONE?
Panettone is a type of sweet bread that's originally from Milan, Italy. It's studded with raisins and candied citrus and it is DIVINE!! It can be eaten for breakfast, which is what I usually do, or as a dessert. You can also use it in bread pudding or to make french toast! It is SO GOOD for french toast!!
I knew about panettone way back when I was a lot younger (in my 20's), but never had an interest in it. I'm not sure why, but maybe I thought it sounded too much like fruitcake. Have you ever had fruitcake? Maybe fruitcake is good and I should quit being too judgmental about it. Because once I finally tried panettone (less than 10 years ago), I instantly fell in love with it! Of course, that was shortly before I found out I had celiac so...you know how it goes. No more panettone, or so I thought😉
here's what you'll need to make gluten free panettone
As with many of my recipes, this panettone starts with my Gluten Free Sweet Dough. This dough is like a magic gluten free dough that can be made into an endless variety of breads, rolls, and pastries. It begins with:
- Kim's gluten free bread flour blend -- there really is no substitute for my bread flour blend. It's imperative to getting the texture you'll see in my videos and pictures.
- Sugar
- Baking powder
- Yeast -- I always use instant yeast, but if you want to use active dry yeast you'll need to activate it first in some of the milk from the recipe that's been warmed to 100-110 F.
- Psyllium husks
- Salt
- Milk
- Butter
- Eggs
On the same day as making the dough, you'll want to soak your fruit so it has time to sit overnight. Here's what you'll need:
- Raisins -- regular dark raisins, golden, or a mixture of both.
- Amaretto -- you can use other liquors or rum, but I like the taste of amaretto and the almond flavor it gives the bread.
- Candied orange peel
- Candied lemon peel
- Zest of one orange
- Vanilla extract
it's so easy to make gluten free panettone
- Make the dough and soak the fruit the day before you're planning on baking the panettone.
- Remove the dough from the fridge and add the soaked fruit. Mix or knead until well distributed.
- Shape dough into a large round and carefully place it in a panettone bread mold (affiliate link).
- Cover and let the dough rise until it just reaches the top of the mold.
- Brush an egg wash on top and score the loaf in the center. Sprinkle with pearl sugar (affiliate link) and bake at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees F and continue to bake until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, about 55-60 minutes. Tent with foil halfway through if the crust is getting too dark.
- Remove from the oven, insert skewers horizontally into the bottom of the loaf, and hang it upside down until completely cool.
gluten free panettone faqs
Yes, you definitely can customize the fruits in gluten free panettone to whatever are your favorites. The ones in this recipe are traditional, but feel free to mix it up. Dried apricots, dried cherries, dried blueberries, etc are all acceptable.
Hanging panettone upside down prevents the loaf from collapsing onto itself while it's still hot. If you don't do this, your panettone may sink and become dense in the middle.
A freshly baked gluten free panettone will keep for about a week in a ziptop bag at room temperature. You can also freeze it whole or in individual slices. Stale gluten free panettone makes excellent bread pudding and French toast!
If you really want to experience the yum that is panettone, try this Gluten Free Panettone recipe. It's showstopping, but surprisingly easy to make. And it's so delicious, you'll want to make it again and again. Happy gluten free baking!!
Gluten Free Panettone
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 recipe ultimate gluten free cinnamon roll dough
- 1 large egg, mixed with 1 tablespoon water (for egg wash)
Inclusions
- 8 ounces (227g) dark or golden raisins or a mixture of both (or any dried fruit of your liking)
- 4 ounces (113g) candied orange peel
- 2 ounces (56g) candied lemon peel
- 50 ml (about ¼ cup--1 single serve bottle) Amaretto diSaronno dark rum may be substituted
- zest of one orange
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Make the dough through step two (chilling in the refrigerator overnight). After making the dough, put dried fruit and mixed candied peel in a medium bowl and pour vanilla extract and Amaretto over the fruit. Mix well, cover, and soak overnight on the counter.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator and attach directly to your stand mixer (or dump out onto well-floured counter). Add soaked fruits. Using the dough hook, knead briefly just to distribute add-ins into dough.
- Dump the dough from the bowl to a well-floured surface and smooth into a round ball. Carefully place dough in panettone mold or cake pan* (see notes).
- Place mold or cake pan on two baking sheets and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Place in a warm, draft-free area until the dough has reached the top of the panettone mold or cake pan, about 2-3 hours (time will depend on the warmth of your proofing area).
- Preheat the oven to 400° F.
- When the dough has fully risen, remove cover and brush with an egg wash. Slash the dough carefully in a cross formation and sprinkle with crushed pearl sugar (if desired). Bake on double baking sheets for 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350° F and continue to bake for about 55-60 minutes more, tenting with foil halfway through if getting too dark. A skewer inserted into the center of the bread should come out clean. The temperature should read between 170-175° F in the center.
- Remove the bread from the oven and immediately and carefully push two skewers through the bottom horizontally. Hang the panettone upside down between two tall fixtures (I use my flour containers) and allow to cool completely before slicing. Store well wrapped at room temperature for up to a week, or freeze, whole or sliced in individual slices for up to two months.
Notes
This panettone was originally posted on December 9, 2018 and has been updated with new pictures and new tips for baking.
Lou says
Hello Kim.
I replaced the whey protein for the pea protein. The taste of this Panetone is really good. Thank you for sharing this recipe. The issue I had was with the rise. I did not have a panetone paper mold, so I created a mold with parchment paper. However, after letting the dough rise for 5 hours, it never made it to the top. I have an oven with a proof function. With that, I also put a pot with boiled water under the pan while proofing to help it rise. Do you have any suggestion to help it rise more. Thanks again. Also, I did not see where your video is.
Kim says
Hi there, Lou! I'm not sure why it wouldn't rise. Maybe it has something to do with the pea protein? Did you use all the other ingredients in my flour blend without any substitutions? How about your brand of rice flour. Was it superfine or was it at all gritty? That can definitely affect the outcome.
Randa says
Hey Kim, I just made my panettone and it came out fluffy not gummy and very delicious. I followed the recipe religiously and it was the second time to make it, first time was a failure because I didn’t have skewers in hand. Can’t thank you enough 🤗❤️
Lauren Martinez says
Hey Kim!
I am new to baking and really struggling. We are gluten free and vegan so I’m following your recipe exactly except substituting the eggs, milk, butter and whey protein.
My 3 panettones I’ve made have gotten somehow increasingly worse. We are desperate to have panettone again. Do you take commissions haha? I don’t think I’ll ever be able to bake this!!
Ry says
That's a lot of things you're substituting, but I can offer a couple tips from being milk free.
- I use unflavored pea protein instead of the whey.
- For liquid milk, I use creamy unsweet almond milk, but maybe oat milk would be even better.
- For butter you could try vegetable shortening, or maybe the butter sticks made of olive oil.
- Eggs must be the hardest thing to replace since it adds to leavening... that I've never tried.
For the dough in this recipe, I've also found that cutting the sugar in half works well. I still get a double rise. I found it way too sweet before. And to get consistent results, I omit the psyllium husk because I think it can absorb differently between powder and whole husk. It just seems better without it.
Kim says
Unfortunately without the eggs, I really don't think it will work. The eggs are really crucial to this dough. I am not a vegan blogger and I'm actually terrible at vegan baking (my daughter is a vegan and everything I've tried to make for her is a failure). I would suggest perusing the internet and/or YouTube for specifically vegan bakers and see if they have any suggestions/recipes for panettone. I'm sorry I can't be of further help.
Inna says
Good morning.
I am so happy I found your site. I tried a lot of your recipes for yeasted dough an I am amazed.
I am not new to gluten free baking, but never before was so successful with yeasted dough.
It happened, that I refrigerated the dough last night and planed to bake the panettone today, but plans changed unexpectedly. Can it stay refrigerated for 2-3 days longer before baking like your artistic bread dough or it will make the baked product too sour?
Thank you very much,
Inna
Kim says
Yes, it can stay refrigerated for a few days, but I wouldn't go much past that. It does tend to get a more yeasty flavor the longer it sits.
Inna says
Thank you !
Susan says
I can't picture this and there is't an image to refer to: "Remove from the oven, insert skewers horizontally into the bottom of the loaf, and "hang it upside down until completely cool."" could you please take a picuture the next time you make it and post? Thank, Susan
Kim says
I don't usually take process shots because I'm also at the time creating a video showing the process. Can you not watch the video?