Although this bread is associated with the Christmas season, I decided to bake this special treat for Easter. The Easter counterpart for Panetone is Colomba. Both breads are the same, except for their shapes. Panetone is round and Colomba is shaped like a dove.
Panetone is a rich egg and butter bread filled with raisins and candied fruit (soaked in rum or whiskey). I soaked my fruits in Grand Marnier, vanilla extract, orange extract and orange blossom water. (the latter was used in lieu of Flora di Scicilia)
It takes about two days to prepare this bread, and requires about 4 hours of proofing. At the end it is worth the effort. See for yourself.
