How to choose a quality panettone

Tips for choosing a quality panettone to serve to friends and relatives during the Christmas holidays.

Italian panettone is the king of Italian baked goods. A perfect-looking panettone is not only light as air, but has a golden color and citrus flavor. Let’s find out together how to choose a quality one.

What is Panettone?

First it is important to understand what panettone is. Panettone has a long history: its origins, in fact, have their roots in some recipes dating back to 200 AD

The hometown of this baked product is located in Milano. The version of panettone that we see today in supermarkets or online is the version linked to the 20th century.

The term “panettone” was protected – for the first time by copyright – in July 2005, referring, in fact, to a dessert made with sourdough, slowly rising and rich in butter. The ingredients, generally used in the preparation of panettone, are flour, sugar, egg yolks, butter, raisins, candied citrus fruits and zest.

How to choose a quality product

It is difficult to say if we are in the presence of an excellent panettone until we cut it. Inside, a quality panettone contains a yellow and creamy crumbcitrus-scented and rich enough to leave your fingers lightly buttered when you peel off a piece.

In addition to this, the rule to take into consideration when buying a panettone is to consider the ingredients that make up this packaged product: the fewer they are, the better.

A classic panettone, therefore, must contain farina, sugar, egg, as well as butter and candied citrus fruits. In some cases, we also find the presence of other ingredients, such as cocoa butter, milk, malt syrup, “natural flavors” and some emulsifiers, stabilizers and preservatives.

Panettone can be cut into slices, like a cake, or cut in half, from top to bottom, then into regular slices. Even without preservatives, naturally leavened panettone lasts, kept well wrapped, for a whole month. Sliced ​​panettone can be packaged and frozen.

What to pay attention to when buying a quality panettone

When purchasing a panettone, you must pay attention to the origin, which indicates quality and authenticity linked to the production of this Christmas dessert in the cities where it is traditionally produced.

In fact, there are also cheaper panettone on the market which, in some cases, are produced in other countries and which, therefore, do not follow the original recipe.

The cheapest panettone is – usually – and has a lower quality, being very dry and crumbly to the touch, as well as lighter in terms of weight than the original.

Also to be taken into consideration is thearomastrongly linked to the good quality ingredients used in the production phase.

Finally, panettone must be as tasty as the aroma it releases. The tasteIn fact, it should be rich and buttery.