Please wait

Contact

37-39 rue Boissière
75016 Paris
France

Phone : 01 41 40 99 80

GaultMillau © 2025 All rights reserved

Panettone, its history and our good addresses

Panettone, its history and our good addresses

Charlie Gémien | 12/18/24, 4:33 PM
Disable your adblocker

Gault&Millau takes you on a journey of discovery of this fascinating cross between cake and yeast dough, a must-have for the Italian festive season.

In gastronomy, there are many legends - always unverifiable - that attribute great creations to initial blunders, from tarte tatin to Sauternes. Panettone, Milan's sweet treasure, is part of this amusing tradition: the Duke of Milan's cook once forgot the dessert in the oven. The cake, charred, was unpresentable, and Toni, a young kitchen boy, tried to make up for it by enriching a bread dough with eggs, fat and dried fruit. This "Toni bread" or "pan di Toni", a true revelation, is said to have given birth to the "panettone". True historians trace it back to the early 17ᵉ century, in a flat, yeast-free form, while its modern form is said to have originated in the 1920s, inspired by an Orthodox Easter cake.

A holiday dessert in Italy, and a cousin of the brioche with its moist dough, even though specialists often prefer to think of it as a cake, the panache is also a dessert.panettone is riding a remarkable wave of popularity outside Italy - it's beginning to sprout up all over France. A true baker's delicacy, with a reputation for technical skill - our craftsmen often go on long training courses on the other side of the Alps - it also demands real patience. It takes at least 72 hours to produce: "We try to develop as many ferments as possible, which must tend towards sweetness," stresses Gauthier Denis, head baker who teaches at the Lenôtre school. This allows the panettone to develop its distinctive aromas, its stringy texture and, above all, its long shelf life, up to more than a month."It's the slow fermentation and delicate kneading that perfect its texture and taste, and, of course, the butter, eggs and candied fruit that enrich the dough. The most gourmet versions top it with a mixture of egg white, sugar and almond called macaronade, which crusts and lightly sugars it.

Christophe Louie, Paris

He is undeniably the king of panettone in France, and it's the star product of his young boutique in the northern Marais district of Paris. Trained in Italy by maestro Mauro Morandin, he even brought back the sourdough he still cultivates today - nicknamed "Mauro", of course. In summer, he even offers an ice cream topped with pieces of panettone. Keep an eye out for his regular collaborations: a coffee version with the venerable Maison Verlet and even a savory version with green yuzu and nori seaweed with caviar temple Petrossian.

  • 12 Rue Dupetit-Thouars, 75003 Paris
  • www.chri stophelouie.com
Salomé Rateau

Brigat, Paris

The cheeky transalpine brothers Lucio and Thomas have chosen the heart of Paris - just off the Place des Vosges - to show the French what Italian sweet tooths have up their sleeves. While their patisserie is rarely overtly Italophile, they do allow themselves a few more classic homages, and their panettone is a model of its kind, with a crumb that is both dense and airy, stringy, greedy and, above all, not dry.

Mauro Colagreco's Mitron Bakery, Menton

While the Argentine chef is best known for his already legendary cuisine at Le Mirazur in Menton, he has been developing his former bakery Mitron Bakery at breakneck speed since 2020 - not only in Menton, of course, but also in Nice and Monaco. The pretty boxes, illustrated by Niçoise artist Marion Butet, conceal three moist panettones, in the traditional version, but also with IGP Menton lemon or chocolate chips.

Ferments Bakery, Marseille

In the heart of Marseille, Guillaume Tetu and Mati Touis have opened one of the most modern bakeries on the coast. And they're passionate about panettone: in addition to the classic or a double chocolate version, they've developed a signature panettone with roasted pumpkin purée, chocolate and maple syrup. And other variations are still in the pipeline, so stay on high alert.

Fabrice Richard, in Concarneau

In winter, the artisan baker enriches his shop window with panettones. "I fell in love with this dough and its complexity. This cake requires very rigorous work, especially for fermentation. Whereas a brioche is made with yeast and keeps for two or three days, panettone is 100% sourdough and has a much longer natural shelf life."Let's go and discover the cranberry, vanilla, caramelized hazelnut and white chocolate chip version, whose cocoa butter enriches the dough.

A panettone log?

What if panettone managed to slip into all our holiday desserts? Marion Goettlé, the chef-owner of Café Mirabelle, in the heart of Paris's 11ᵉ arrondissement, pays as much tribute to her Alsatian roots as to her love of Italy. For the holidays, she's making a panettone Yule log: on a panettone base, she slips an almond crumble, citrus marmalade and, above all, a delicious panettone-infused mousse!

Disable your adblocker

These news might interest you

Pas de friture sur la ligne entre Christopher Hay et Sylvain Arnoult
Craftsmen & Know-How
Pas de friture sur la ligne entre Christopher Hay et Sylvain Arnoult
Christophe Hay, chef de cuisine, et son pêcheur de la Loire, Sylvain Aroult, échangent sur les incidents et les richesses de la pêche de poissons d’eau douce, ainsi que la redécouverte de ce type de poissons dans les assiettes des consommateurs.
Live algae
Craftsmen & Know-How
Live algae
Ewen Frin, 28, founder of Omanori, is revolutionizing Breton gastronomy by supplying it with fresh seaweed thanks to an innovative system of preservation in ponds.
Nicolas Adam, Stéphane Terlet et le “meilleur beurre du monde”
Craftsmen & Know-How
Nicolas Adam, Stéphane Terlet et le “meilleur beurre du monde”
À Maël-Pestivien, dans les Côtes-d’Armor, un éleveur de vaches Froment du Léon et un chef doublement toqué tissent depuis plusieurs années une histoire de goût, de fidélité et d’engagement. Le beurre qui les unit ne ressemble à aucun autre.
Pierre Duplantier : l’éleveur qui a troqué le lait pour les volailles d’exception
Craftsmen & Know-How
Pierre Duplantier : l’éleveur qui a troqué le lait pour les volailles d’exception
Sortir d'un système agricole productiviste n'est jamais facile. Pierre Duplantier, ancien éleveur laitier, a osé changer le cours de sa vie.
Paris Coffee Show 2025 : le retour du salon des passionnés de café
Craftsmen & Know-How
Paris Coffee Show 2025 : le retour du salon des passionnés de café
Le rendez-vous des professionnels et amateurs de café fait son retour à Paris ! Organisé par Collectif Café, le Paris Coffee Show s’associe au Sirha Omnivore pour une nouvelle édition.
Cette boutique française mise sur une épice que vous adorez
Craftsmen & Know-How
Cette boutique française mise sur une épice que vous adorez
Les Français sont les troisièmes plus gros consommateurs de cette fameuse épice dans le monde. Et le fondateur de ce nouveau commerce l’a bien compris !
Become Partners