This time of year brings some of the best of baking. There are Christmas cookies, gingerbread, buches de Noel, and then, of course, the ever-versatile panettone. The traditional Italian confection, an eggy, yeasty bread dotted with chunks of fruit and nuts, defies categorization — it can be breakfast, dessert, or a teatime treat. And while many Americans may still envision the dried-out, boxed versions sold in grocery stores, there are more and more options for real-deal panettoni that ship directly to your door.
It’s easy to spot the difference. Quality panettone requires days to make properly, and it’s not cheap. There’s now a whole annual festival dedicated to convincing Americans what exactly is so special about the stuff. But the easiest way to be convinced is to order one of the panettone below — before they sell out for the season.
The best panettoni to order this holiday season
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Prices taken at time of publishing.
Giada de Laurentiis’s Giadzy is all about importing fancy foods from Italy, so naturally it would stock a panettone or two. Its traditional option comes from the Perbellini bakery in Verona, Italy, an arrives packed in a graphic tin, making it a particularly nice gift. Giadzy is also selling an apricot panettone made with apricot jam and topped with almond paste and silvered almonds.
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Una Pizza Napoletana Lemon and Dark Chocolate Panettone
Prices taken at time of publishing.
New York City’s Una Pizza is known for the extreme care which pizza maker Anthony Mangieri approaches the task: After decades in business he still insists on making every round of naturally leavened dough. It’s no surprise then that he’d take on panettone with a similar dedication. Partnering with Infermentum in Verona (reportedly the first US outpost to do so), this dough, too, is naturally leavened, and contains dark chocolate, sea salt, and preserved lemon peel.
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Olivieri 1882 Pumpkin and Dark Chocolate Panettone
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Panettone should not be confused with Christmas fruitcake. Still, a fluffy baked good stuffed with dried fruit can be a hard sell for some. Luckily, Olivieri 1882, which has been making panettoni for as long as the name implies, makes nontraditional, crowd-pleasing loaves, like this pumpkin and dark chocolate option, which you can still order in time for Thanksgiving.
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From Roy Pistachio Amarena Cherry Panettone
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Roy Shvartzapel makes his cheffy panettoni out of Houston, and has plenty of options for the raisin-haters among us. This pistachio and Amarena cherry number feels particularly Christmasy.
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Prices taken at time of publishing.
In addition to stocking panettoni from big-name Italian bakeries, like Olivieri 1882, Eataly has a selection of Eataly-branded panettoni made in Italian bakeries. New to its lineup this year is a limoncello panettone with limoncello (naturally, lemon zest, and candied lemon.
