Best Panettone

Last Updated: Oct 30, 2021 @ 4:38 pm.

A Brief History of Panettone!

Panettone is a dense sweet bread or cake with dried fruit and raisins originally from Italy. It’s a popular treat with an interesting history.

The cake itself dates back to the Renaissance in Milan. Panettone roughly translates to “large loaf cake” in Italian.

Until the 1800’s, panettone was made only in Milan—its modern form is credited to baker Angelo Motta. 

In 1919, a Russian emigre came into Motta’s bakery seeking traditional Russian cakes for a celebration. The emigre supplied Motta with a recipe, which seemed similar to Italian panettone. Motta made the cakes in the traditional manner of Italian panettone—wrapped in a paper ring. Hence modern panettone is a mix of both Italian and Russian tradition.

When the panettone bakes, it rises over the edge of the ring into a spectacular dome. 

How is Panettone Made?

To make panettone, yeast dough is fermented first for several hours up to a few days.

Then sugar, dried fruit and raisins are added (sometimes nuts and even chocolate), the dough is poured into paper rings and baked.

Our Taste Tests

To find the best panettone, we conducted blind taste tests (someone had to do it), looking for the best overall flavor and texture. Here are the ones we recommend:

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