Panettone is wildly popular throughout Italy and no respectable Christmas table would be complete without it. Originating from Milan, these notoriously tricky-to-make artisanal loafs are produced throughout the country, north to south with great pride going into earning a slot on Gambero Rosso's annual "best panettoni" list.
But is panettone even cake? Technically, no; it's bread with a sourdough starter, enhanced with butter, eggs, raisins and candied orange peel. The process of making them is difficult and labor intensive. The loafs rise multiple times and start with a "mother dough", likely passed down through the generations. Chefs pride themselves in allowing the final rise to take place over the course of 36 to 48 hours. Once baked, work continues as bakers must hang the breads upside-down to cool completely in order to prevent the domed tops from collapsing. The whole process requires 72+ hours.
Visually, the top must possess a high rounded dome, while the inside is filled elongated and homogeneous air pockets. Both the aroma and palate should be a harmonious blend of vanilla, butter and candied fruit with no one flavor overpowering the others. To the touch and tooth, there should be delicate elasticity that does not stick to the teeth and gradually melts away in the mouth similar to the way cotton candy does but without the cloying sweetness. Panettone is, in fact, not actually sweet. The pop of the fruit lends sweetness to the very subtly sweetend dough. For the fruit- raisins should be juicy and the candied fruit robust in texture, not soft or rubbery.
Packaging varies from simple to very elaborate (along with the price).
Artisan panettone start at around €30 but most hover in the €40's for a 1 kg loaf. The quality of the minimal ingredient list is paramount- vanilla from Madagascar, sultana raisins from Turkey and orange peel from Sicily. Nowadays, chefs take poetic liberty by incorporating various ingredients, including chocolate, hazelnuts, almonds, caramel and a variety other flavors with prices fluctuating based the preciousness of the ingredients.
I have to admit that I had not been a huge fan of Italy's Christmas dessert darling. But, I can't very well I live in Italy and not like panettone, can I? Arguably, I probably had only tasted the supermarket variety available in the USA, heavily laden with preservatives and emulsifiers so this was the year to give it a go and taste the real thing. Wow! I have a whole new appreciation for these tremendously tender loaves of love.
I scoured Gambero Rosso's list for the past 10 years and tasted the following available in bakeries near me: Gustificio by Andrea Poli (top 10 in a competition among restauranteurs), Biasetto (former list-maker), Giotto (former list-maker and produced by inmates of the Padova prison) and last but certainly not least, Le Sablon (16th place in this year's overall pasticceria competition of artisanal panettone. Le Sablon was the "meltiest" on the palate with a balanced blend of flavors and perfectly textured orange peel.
I rounded out my tasting by testing out a supermarket-purchased loaf by Bauli (Gambero Rosso's supermarket top 10) €8. Conclusion- support your local bakery and go for the good stuff!
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