I am sure you’ve seen these in your local grocery store. It’s an Italian sweet bread. Quite often you’ll see towers of Panettone boxes during the holidays. In the states, I tend to see Bauducco brand panettone, either the mini boxes or the full-size boxes, in classic and chocolate chip flavors. In a few different grocery stores in Sicily, I recall seeing perhaps a dozen brands and an even greater variety of flavors. But they were only available around Christmas if memory serves me. In the states, I’m seeing a small offering year-round now.
Recently, a friend gave me a panettone because she had been given one by a person who didn’t know she avoids gluten. The 26.2 oz. Bauducco Classic Panettone. That’s your big boy.
And thus began my mission.
The Mission
Is it a coincidence that 26.2 is also the number of miles in a marathon? Probably.
Nevertheless, my mission was to not waste this opportunity. I do not like throwing out food of any type, especially delicious food. I also don’t want to put on weight. An 83g serving is 310 calories and there are 9 servings in the cake. I asked myself if it was even possible to cut a cake into ninths. Sure, a circle of 360° is nine, 40° pieces, but I didn’t really want to take a protractor and Sharpie to this cake. Eight pieces would be easy to cut, but the caloric bang would now be even higher. I landed on sixteen pieces of 175 calories each. It is doable with a sharp knife, a steady hand, and a good eye. I etched out only the top of the cake and cut myself a fresh slice each day, leaving the waxy paper on the remainder intact, so as not to dry it out (though I’m starting to wonder if that is possible).
For 16 straight days I have enjoyed a laughably small wedge of microwave-warmed panettone with half a tablespoon of butter, the perfect 225 calorie match to my black coffee. It has remained soft and delicious throughout.
Delicious for Less
Panettone can be used as a kicked-up French toast or as layers in a trifle or even as stuffing for turkey. However, it is really nice as a stand-alone wedge, warmed for a few seconds in the microwave. Or if you don’t care about the calories, toast a larger slice of it and add a little butter. It’s fantastic. And it’s also relatively cheap. Don’t buy panettone on Amazon unless you see a real bargain. The best time to buy them is when the grocery stores are ready to move on from Christmas. They’ll push the minis for $1 and advertise BOGOs on the full-size. You’ll definitely find the large box for under $10, and you might even be able to get two for that cost. Now you’re eating desert (or breakfast!) for a $1.
One last comment. We have the chocolate chip flavor in America, but I didn’t see it in Sicily. That’s not to say they don’t have it; I’m sure they do. But it definitely takes a backseat to the tons of varieties of dried fruit combinations. The chocolate chip version is excellent, but it is a bit heavy-handed, more of dessert. I recommend trying a dried fruit panettone at least once. There are some subtle notes. And when you hit a raisin, you’ll actually think, for the briefest of moments, you’re eating something healthy.