In Milan, the birthplace of panettone, lievito madre is the one and only yeast bakers are allowed to use. We visited Pavé, a local bakery, to find out what else makes Milanese panettone so special.

Diana Lee: Journalist covering food and lifestyle trends in Italy, based in Milan. The piece de resistance is the panettone, the cupola shaped sweet bread synonymous with Christmas in Italy.

The heaviest recorded panettone was made in 2018, weighing 332kg, 150 centimetres high and 115cm wide, by a team of chefs in Milan in 2018 who won a Guinness World Record for their efforts.

Originally from Milan, panettone is enjoyed with coffee or sweet wine. Our recipe is for chocottone (chocolate panettone). If you prefer, just replace the chocolate chips with candied fruit.