Cherry Chocolate Panettone Made with Fresh Milled Flour

I love baking this cherry, chocolate & pecan panettone with fresh milled flour. Panettone is a traditional Italian sweetbread. Somewhere between a fruit cake and a bread, this delightful loaf is sure to become one of your favorite holiday bakes.

If you’ve ever dreamed of biting into a fluffy slice of fruit cake that’s not a brick, I’ve got you. This recipe is delicious and has a grown-up twist. This cherry, chocolate & pecan panettone made with freshly milled flour is my kind of holiday treat: rich, slightly nutty, with sweet bursts of chocolate and fruit, and a texture that just melts in your mouth.

There’s something about using freshly ground flour that gives this panettone a rustic soul. And trust me, a little effort up front means major payoff in the flavor department later. So put on your favorite holiday playlist, pour a cup of something warm, and let’s bake! 

Looking for more fresh milled flour recipes? Try making our Maple Pecan Banana Bread, Pumpkin Raisin Pecan Muffins, Texas Roadhouse Rolls, Dinner Rolls, Hawaiian Rolls, Homemade Crescent Rolls, Ciabatta Rolls, Sweet Cornbread Muffins, English Muffins, or Whole Wheat Milk Bread.

New to fresh milling your own flour? Take a look at our Beginner’s Guide and Grain Guide.

Why You’ll Love Fresh Milled Panettone

• Fresh Flavor with Depth: Fresh-milled flour adds a subtle, slightly nutty dimension that gives the bread a rustic charm you won’t get with store-bought flour.
• Balanced Richness: The butter, eggs, and pecans make it indulgent — but cherries and dark chocolate balance it with a tart and bitter sweetness.
• Perfect for Sharing: Fantastic as a gift, a brunch centerpiece, dessert with a dollop of whipped cream or ice cream, or for french toast. Also stellar toasted or warmed the next day.

Cherry, Chocolate & Pecan Panettone Recipe

Tools

• Grain Mill
• Stand Mixer with dough hook and mixing bowl
• Digital Kitchen Scale
• Dough Scraper
• Parchment Paper
• Kitchen Thermometer
• Cooling Rack
• Round Baking Pan or Liners

Ingredients

Starter

• 120 grams Hard White Wheat
• 113 grams Water
• Pinch of Active Dry Yeast

Tangzhong

• 60 grams Water
• 20 grams Hard White Wheat

Dough

• All of the starter
• All of the Tangzhong
• 240 grams Hard White Wheat
• 60 grams Water, lukewarm
• 35 grams Maple Syrup (honey or sugar work too)
• 7 grams Vanilla Extract
• 15 grams Amaretto
• 2 Eggs
• 85 grams Unsalted Butter
• 8 grams Salt
• 8 grams Active Dry Yeast
• 135 grams Dried Cherries, chopped
• 135 grams Pecans, chopped
• 125 grams Dark Chocolate Chunks, chopped
• 1-2 Tablespoons Coarse Sparkling Sugar for topping (optional)

Notes

• Makes 1 large round loaf, serves about 12
• I just use cut up parchment paper to make my baking wrapper, but you can buy the traditional Panettone liners.
• I used my Instant Pot cake pan to bake my loaf, but any small round cake pan can work.
• Some people will skewer and invert their loaves to cool (hanging upside down), which helps prevent sinking. However, I have found that simply laying it on its side, rotating it every few minutes, works just as well. Do what works for you!
• You can use a sourdough starter in place of the yeast starter if you want. If using a sourdough starter instead of a yeast starter, make sure it’s active and bubbly before you begin.

Step-by-Step Cherry Chocolate Panettone

PREP

Make Starter: the night before you want to bake stir together water, flour and a pinch of yeast. Cover and let sit on the counter overnight.

Tangzhong: Mix flour and water together and microwave in 20-30 spurts (about 3-4 times) until you have a smooth paste-like texture. Spread on bottom of the mixing bowl to cool for a few minutes. While cooling, you can prep other ingredients.

Autolyse: Mix together all of the starter, all of the tangzhong, maple syrup, vanilla, amaretto, and fresh milled flour into a shaggy dough. Cover and let rest for 30-60 minutes.

Making Dough

Knead Dough: In your stand mixer add eggs and butter to shaggy dough and mix for a minute until mostly combined. Then, add yeast and salt and knead for 5-15 minutes, or until a windowpane (very elastic dough) has formed.

Inclusions: After kneading, add in your chopped cherries, pecans, and chocolate, and slowly combine them into the dough. This is a delicate dough, so don’t be surprised if you see some strings of gluten at this point.

Bulk Rise: Cover the dough and let it rise in a warm, draft-free spot until puffy (may not be completely doubled). This will take about 1–1.5 hours, depending on your house temperature.

Shape: Gently dump dough onto a floured surface (this is a very delicate dough!) and form into a ball. Place into panettone pan or liner. I don’t buy the panettone liners; instead, I cut parchment paper strips to line the bottom and sides of my pan.

2nd Rise: Cover and let rise for 1-2 hours. You want the cherry chocolate panettone to be domed on top, but try not to overproof, or it can deflate after baking. Preheat oven to 350 degrees near the end of the rise.

Baking & Serving

Bake: Spritz the top of the risen dough with a bit of water and sprinkle with sparkling sugar. Bake panettone for about 55-65 minutes, or until the top is deep golden and the internal temperature is 200 degrees. If the top starts browning too fast, you can tent with foil.

Cool: Remove baked bread from the oven and let it cool in the pan for 5 minutes (if you used a metal pan). After that, you can cool it two ways. I usually remove it from the pan and place it on its side on a cooling rack, and rotate it every few minutes.

Or you can invert your panettone to cool (which seems way more fun, but I just never have the space): after removing from the pan, insert two long skewers or wooden dowels near the center, invert the panettone, and hang it over a shelf or cupboard so it cools upside down (like an angel food cake).

Either way, side or inverted cooling keeps it from collapsing as it sets. Let cool completely (6–8 hours, or overnight).  

Slice & Serve: Once cooled, cut your cherry chocolate panettone into wedges. Enjoy plain, toasted, or warmed, with a swipe of butter or spread.

Variations on Cherry Chocolate Panettone

• Booze-free or Not: Leave out the amaretto if it’s not your thing or swap for whiskey, bourbon, or orange liqueur
• More fruit, less chocolate: Replace half (or all) of the chocolate chunks with candied orange peel and raisins for a more classic panettone vibe.
• Nutty crunch boost: Use a mix of pecans and walnuts for extra complexity and texture.

There you go — a cherry, chocolate & pecan panettone that feels like a holiday hug, made all the more special with freshly milled flour. I won’t lie, it is a bit of a labor of love, but the reward of that first slice, all buttery and warm, with pockets of chocolate and bursts of cherry, is absolutely worth it.