12 supermarket panettoni tested: this is the best one

Panettone is expensive. And rightly so; a panettone from a professional baker cannot be compared with one from the cardboard box at the supermarket. Our colleague Sophie from Italiamo knows that better than anyone. But as it turns out, those supermarket versions can sometimes still be quite edible, especially if you spruce them up a little at home. 

Italian consumer organisation Altroconsumo has created its own Christmas tradition: every year, it assesses the best panettoni from supermarket aisles. Good news: the number one is genuinely a bargain. Six euros. Even better news: number three can sometimes be found at Jumbo, so it may be worth making a detour to a nearby branch to check.

The big supermarket panettone test

This year, Altroconsumo compared twelve panettoni that are often sold in supermarkets. The test consisted of two phases: first, any production irregularities, such as mould and unwanted yeasts, were detected in the laboratory. Then came the most enjoyable part: the taste test. A double jury of pastry chefs and consumers assessed taste, aroma, appearance and texture.

How to recognise a good panettone

But according to Altroconsumo, how do you recognise a good panettone? A few things to look out for:

• First of all, the panettone should have a beautifully domed top that rises above the paper packaging, the pirottino, but it should not protrude excessively, causing the cake to take on the shape of a mushroom.
• The crust should be compact and evenly coloured, and not burnt.
• The baking mould should preferably be rigid, to support the panettone and protect it from sagging.
• The scartura, in other words the scoring on the crust, should not only be aesthetic, but should also ensure that the dough rises properly and bakes evenly.
• When cut, the panettone should be soft.
• The colour of the dough should be yellow: the more intense the colour, the greater the amount of egg yolk used in the dough.
• The holes in the dough should be large and, above all, not all the same size.
• The distribution of candied fruit and raisins should be uniform; if there are lots on top, there should be just as many inside the panettone itself.
• The candied fruit should be good quality (not small and hard). Bonus points if there is lemon in it, as that is more valuable than orange.
• The aroma and flavour should be characteristic of sourdough; if not, it may have been overbaked and have a bitter crust, or contain poor-quality sour raisins.

Standouts in the ranking

The only low-quality one is the panettone I came across in the Netherlands this week: number twelve in the ranking, Lidl’s ‘Favorina’. Best to steer clear of it if you want to keep things enjoyable this Christmas. According to Altroconsumo, a panettone is a decent product from fifty points onwards, and good from sixty points.

Notably, Bruno Barbieri’s panettone from Motta received a lot of publicity this year because it proved popular with expert pastry chefs. Altroconsumo, however, is ruthless and awards it 64 points, but places it sixth because of its relatively high price.

You can find the panettoni in Italian supermarkets, but you can also order them online. That will cost you a little more, though, so the price-quality ratio is different. Balocco, number three, is sometimes part of Jumbo’s range. Look for the red box. Or enlist your Italian friends. You can also have them hunt down the best artisanal panettoni in the world, which will always come out on top. In any case, this is the supermarket list.

The best supermarket panettone in 2024

1. Coop Panettone Classico: 67 points – € 6.19
2. Tre Marie Il Panettone Milanese: 65 points – € 13.65
3. Balocco Il Panettone ricetta classica: 65 points – € 7.13
4. Paluani Il Panettone: 64 points – € 7.38
5. Maina Il Panettone: 64 points – € 7.25
6. Motta Il Panettone secondo Bruno Barbieri: 64 points – € 15.18
7. Giovanni Cova & C. Panettone Classico – 62 points – € 14.18
8. Bauli Il Panettone Classico: 60 points – € 6.91
9. Duca Moscati (Eurospin) Panettone: 57 points – € 4.29
10. Conad Panettone ricetta classica: 56 points – € 5.24
11. Melegatti Panettone tradizione: 53 points – € 6.97
12. Favorina (Lidl) Panettone Classico: 46 points – € 4.42

Read also:

• Panettone and Pandoro: these are the differences between the Italian Christmas desserts
• Here you can eat the best panettone in the world
• Panettone: the Italian answer to Christmas stollen

Source: Italiamo