Panettone perfection: consumer organisation tastes and ranks the best from stores in Spain

Panettone, the cake originally from Italy, is stocked in almost every Spanish supermarket and has become a Christmas classic, albeit not as traditional as almond-based turrón. Spanish consumer organisation OCU has prepared a ranking on the best ones you can find across various stores as Christmas nears.

The OCU (Organización de Consumidores y Usuarios) analysed 16 panettones on sale in Ahorramás, Alcampo, Aldi, Carrefour, Día, El Corte Inglés, Eroski, Lidl and Mercadona to find out which is the best. Different aspects have been assessed, from labelling to the quality of the dough, the presence of additives, as well as the flavour, texture and aroma. Only two out of the 16 stand out.

In 14 of the 16 different panettone, the main issue is excessive aroma. It would be preferable to use less, or simply allow for the natural aroma of the sourdough, butter and fruit filling to come through, according to the OCU.

Factors to take into account

The OCU assessed the cakes' fats, carbohydrates, sugars, proteins and salt. As expected, the nutritional value is not positive as it is a sweet bread made with butter and sugar. Using butter is not the same as using other types of cheaper vegetable fats, such as sunflower, palm, coconut, or soybean. The real panettone is made with butter, although cocoa butter can also be added. Of the 16 panettone products compared in the study, 10 use only butter to make the dough; the other six mix butter with other types of poorer quality fat. All products use glucose and fructose syrups.

A traditional panettone does not use yeast, only sourdough, an ingredient that is made simply with flour and water. But not all use sourdough, as some also add yeast, which affects its final quality, the OCU study found.

The filling is one of the main characteristics of panettone: the classics, like the ones in the study, are filled with sultanas and candied citrus peel; an adequate quantity and a correct distribution in the dough define its quality.

What about additives? A high number has not been found, although Hacendado's Panettone (Mercadona) uses up to seven different ones. Most of them only use one additive, the emulsifier E471, an additive that in the opinion of OCU is "not recommended".

The two best

The top panettones are from El Corte Inglés and the panettone from El Corte Inglés Selection, both of which have a pleasant texture and balanced aroma, according to the OCU. In the tasting, the El Corte Inglés panettone stood out above the rest for its moist texture and balanced aroma, and for the good quality of its filling of raisins and candied crust. It uses no fat other than butter. It can be purchased for just over 10 euros/kg.

The panettone from El Corte Inglés Selection is ranked second. It missed out on top place due to its excessive aroma; it cost 26% more.

The supermarket panettones in the study have an average price of 9.62 euros/kg, although the cost of the artisan ones, on sale in bakeries, is higher and can be over 35 or 40 euros/kg.