In Italy it is a dogma: a Christmas you eat the Panettone! At breakfast, at the end of a meal or as a snack, with tea, with sparkling wine, it is brought as a gift, we eat it so much that we almost have indigestion. By now the panettone continues to conquer an increasingly large public, not only in Italy but also abroad. And even this Christmas 2022 it won't be missing on our tables, as a sweet symbol of the Holidays, but above all as the maximum expression of the high Italian pastry chef. But what are the best artisan panettone 2022?
Until a few years ago, artisan panettone was a niche product and the vast majority of Italians bought only industrial products. Then the boom, even breaking down the dogma of seasonality (now we have panettone in all sauces and for all periods). From north to south, more and more chefs (including starred ones), restaurants and ice cream parlors have become infected by the panettone-mania. Some focus on the raw material or tradition, others on the packaging, who on the most creative idea with an incredible range of tastes. The keyword is: diversify.
Son of hours and hours of work, the artisan panettone is a perfect mix of flavors and aromas made of sourdough, flour, butter, raisins and candied fruit. They range from the classic Milanese to the most extravagant interpretations, some with staggering prices. For example the most expensive it is absolutely Italian and was made by the pastry shop del Borgo a Carmagnola by Dario Hartvig for a wealthy Indian: the panettone was in fact covered with 22-carat gold leaf for food use and adorned with a mega diamond bracelet. With a weight of 5 kg, the golden panettone cost well 500 thousand euros. Pure madness.
Returning to figures that are more or less accessible to everyone, how can we juggle all this variety?
Christmas 2022: 10 of the best artisan panettone to taste
DeVivo
De Vivo's panettone is another guarantee. It looks like a homemade pan brioche, very buttery, it even gives toasted and citron notes. But Pancioccolato is one of the most classic flavors among the De Vivo artisan panettone, an absolute "certainty". Price: 36/40 euros.
Pepe
Panettone from the Pepe pastry shop, in its historic green box, is another of the great leavened products that never disappoints. It has a biscuit-colored, beautifully swollen and rounded dome without icing. Inside it is characterized by a golden crumb, with large and uniform alveoli, rich in Australian 5 crowns raisins and candied fruit. A sweet rich in aromas: not only of orange and citron, but also mandarin and lemon that accompany the flavor of the vanilla bean powder. The texture is buttery but not cloying. Price: 38 euros. To taste also the one with hazelnut and coffee.
Bedussi
The dessert by Francesco Bedussi, yeast maker from 1987 as well as pastry chef in the family business, earns a place in the standings thanks also to the slightly decomposed icing, consistency and citrus fruits. The novelty is precisely represented by the Limited Editions of 300 pieces each: Pears and Chocolate and “Cuore Rossonero” with Chocolate and Raspberries. The price? 45 euros with “fluo” packaging – 50 euros with “drum” packaging.
Oliveri 1882
Another evergreen is the Olivieri pastry shop since 1882. Its panettone is the result of a double leavening of more than 48 hours each, which translates into more than 4 days of processing; made only with the highest quality raw materials, using live sourdough and is stuffed with Australian 5 crown sultanas and candied orange peel by hand. Inside it is soft, with a light and golden color, slightly moist, with a rich scent of French butter and pleasant and aromatic black dots of Bourbon vanilla from Madagascar. Price: 39 euros.
ciacco
From the Parma laboratory, Stefano Guizzetti - the master ice cream maker under the direction of Ciacco - in recent years has also dedicated himself to the production of large leavened products, achieving excellent results. His creation for Christmas 2022 is the "bitter" Panettone, a leavened product based on herbs, roots and blueberries that give crunchiness and a hint of sweetness. The protagonist is an infusion of rhubarb, gentian and cinchona, in perfect balance with the more traditional flavors of sugar and butter. There is no shortage of classic Guizzetti flavours, from Panettone Milano to Panettone Raspberry and Pistachio. Price 38 euros.
Tabian
Claudio Gatti, president of the Accademia del Lievito Madre, is the signature of the classic panettone of the Tabiano pastry shop, of which he is the owner. Its flagship product is the "Sweet Focaccia", a leavened product similar to panettone, offered all year round in the most original variations. At Christmas, his focaccia becomes a real panettone: only first-choice ingredients for a well-leavened product without icing. The caramel-colored dome emerges from a well-defined biscuit-colored cross slope. Raisins and candied fruit cover the surface. When cut, it reveals a soft and buttery crumb and aromas of orange, cedar and vanilla that arrive on the palate in a harmonious whole. Price: 35 euros.
Walter Musco pastry shop – Bompiani
The most beautiful sugared-almond hat in this ranking, even if it doesn't have many icings, is that of Walter Musco. The panettone from the Bompiani pastry shop also stands out for its structure and development. Enough to place itself among the best Roman panettone. Price: 38 euros.
Manfredi House
A classic alto with bold buttery notes. A fixed appointment for the Romans is the one with the great leavened products of Casa Manfredi by the pastry chef Giorgia Proia. But this year there is something new, the butter has changed: the French one from Lescure Aop, of the highest quality. Another novelty introduced concerns the design packaging: in wood, in a super-limited edition, it was created in collaboration with the historic company Grattoni 1892. But there is also a new packaging designed by the illustrator Susanna Gentili. You can choose from four versions of panettone: Panettone Romanese (the traditional Milanese one, but “made in Rome”), Panettone Tout Chocolat, with chocolate and caramel chocolate, Panettone Marron Glacé and Panettone Apricot and Hazelnut. Dulcis in fundo, there is the "special panettone" made with Sarah Cicolini, the chef of Santo Palato. It is called Fichissimo and is filled with Agrimontana candied white figs, Agrimontana candied mandarin, walnuts and cinnamon glaze. Price 40 euros.
Sorrentino pastry shop in Torre del Greco
Classic, Almond, Convivial or Stuffed with Pistachio, chocolate, Vesuvius apricot, limoncello and black cherry: the panettone from the La Torre pastry shop in Torre del Greco in the province of Naples are all evidence of the maniacal attention of Alberto Sorrentino and of his son Francesco for a strictly artisanal production, based on the high quality of the raw materials, all 100% natural, based on the great Campania confectionery tradition and faithful to the culture of territoriality as its fillings attest. Already the irregular but not too marked alveolation of the panettone guarantees a balanced dough that maintains the right humidity typical of a high quality artisan panettone as well as the crumb which tends to slip off thus demonstrating an excellent gluten mesh. The long leavening and manufacturing processes guarantee a soft, light, fragrant and above all highly digestible artisan panettone. Price 33 euros
Great Roman Cafe
In the province of Avellino, Raffaele and Gianfranco Romano offer their panettone all year round. The flagship is certainly the Pantheon: from the majestic and austere dome, entirely covered with almond glaze and pompous. Made with first choice ingredients. The living dough mother yeast gives shape to a soft and fragrant structure, thanks to the centrifuge cream butter churned within 24 hours of milking. Citrus fruits, candied by a small artisan company, season everything, accompanied by 6-crown sultanas, embellished with a rum bath. On the palate it releases all its flavors in a harmonious and balanced whole. Price: 33 euros.
The Kiosk
To close this ranking of the best artisan panettone 2022, there is that of Francesco Ballico, which stands out for its perfumes and great elasticity. The "butteriness" is excellent. Price: 38 euros
The best artisan panettone 2022 from the great chefs
In 2022 there is no shortage of designer panettone. Lots of them limited edition, made with prestigious gift-packaging or recipes that will not be replicated in the future. The classic is not discussed, while the millefrutti greedily advances:
- There is the work of the chef Niko Romiti, kept in an elegant red box: sourdough from the fermentation of Casadonna vineyard grapes, organic soft wheat flour, organic egg yolk, organically grown Bourbon vanilla pods, fresh cream butter, citrus honey, raisins and hand-selected and candied organic orange peel.
- Antonino Cannavacciuolo celebrate his first Christmas as a three-starred chef with a range of artisanal panettone. Classic, with limoncello, pistachio, gianduja, chocolate and coffee, pear and chocolate, vegan with chocolate, and then the one with Melannurca IGP Special Edition.
- Massimiliano Alajmo is able to amaze every time. The novelty of this year is the butter panettone with saffron and licorice powder. Then there are Arlecchino all'extravergine with orange and citron, classic Pan d'Oro, Moro di Venezia with morello cherries and chocolate, Marrakech with hazelnut praline, more cherries, coffee and Crema Favola in the sac-à-poche.
- A tri-starred panettone is the one signed by Mauro Uliassi and his team: the pastry chef Matthias Casabianca and his second Alexander Brigatti. Available in two versions: the classic with candied orange and bergamot and the chocolate one with hazelnut and orange peel (directly from Sicily) and the special with candied Ascoli olives, chocolates, Cantiano black cherries and molasses icing.
- Also for this Christmas, the leavened products of the family waxy. The delicious apricot and Picolit panettone is back again this year, offered in limited production and available only in December. But there are also classic and chocolate.
- The chef's artisanal Panettone is much more sumptuous Cracco, with the Little Snowflake crystal decoration, iconic Swarovski ornament. To complete the limited edition, an octagonal box, whose design combines the emblematic decoration made of Swarovski "Cracco in Galleria", chosen in shades of gold and burgundy.
- Born from the stellar collaboration between the multiple world champion and multiple award-winning pastry chef Robert Rinaldini and the multi-starred chef Enrico Bartolini (seven restaurants, 12 Michelin stars) the “PanVita” panettone. A dessert made up of orange and elderflower-scented panettone with pistachio cubes and candied orange peel, accompanied by a delicate sauce – in a separate jar – of Marsala zabaglione, all accompanied by a filling to be added at the time of tasting on the slice.
But that's not all, there are other starred artisan panettone for this Christmas 2022 that should be mentioned, such as that of Ciccio Sultan or the special edition of Cyrus Scamardella in collaboration with Matteo Dolcemascolo.
The best 2022 artisan panettone from the supermarket
With inflation skyrocketing, the prices of leavened products are also soaring. For those who don't want to give up the iconic Christmas cake, excellent panettone can also be found on the supermarket shelves. And Altroconsumo helps in this ranking. The consumer protection association first verified that the products complied with the rules established by a 2005 decree: panettone must be prepared with at least 16% butter (and no other fats), with natural yeast and at least 20% candied fruit and raisins. Among the best is obviously that of the historic Milanese brand Vergani which, in addition to leavened pastry products, has been offering its own line for large-scale retailers for years (average price per pack €14,90). Followed by panettone The Graces of Esselunga, with 4,99 euros per pack, wins the title of best purchase for value for money. Then there's the Milanese panettone Tre Marie, with an average price of 12,89 euros per pack. Instead, they stay out toy, Paluans, Maina, Motta e Melegatti, as they have not reached the sufficiency because taste and aroma, according to those who have tasted them, are not characteristic.
Panettone or Pandoro? The eternal battle
Every year the same story: panettone or pandoro? The panettone is enriched with candied fruit and raisins, while the pandoro is the one in the shape of a soft star dusted with icing sugar. And even here the choice is very varied. The novelty of this Christmas 2022 is the signed pandoro Chiara Ferragni, aka Pink Christmas. The influencer has launched his pandoro with Balocco on the market: the cost of which is between 9 and 10 euros and the proceeds will go to the Regina Margherita Hospital in Turin.
