New-wave panettone is old-school craft (plus where to try it in Melbourne this Christmas)

• Five panettone to try in Sydney

Panettone, the bell-shaped Italian bread flecked with sultanas and orange peel, might be one of the most visible signs of Christmas, but it's also one of the most divisive festive foods.

"People have an idea what it is in their head but that's only because of [panettone] they've eaten in the past," says Boris Portnoy, owner of All Are Welcome bakery in Northcote.

His is one of several artisan bakeries around Melbourne that's making the notoriously difficult sweet bread using traditional methods.

Their new-wave panettones (which are, ironically, reviving old-school craftsmanship) are cultivating a new appreciation for the bread – and, for some people, a rethink of their stance on it.

"Our classic [panettone] is far from what you find commercially," says Carlo Mellini of Cannoli Bar in Avondale Heights. "It's an artisan product. It's a sourdough fermentation. It's just different."

Most of the panettone sold in Australia arrives on ships from Italy, meaning it has to be shelf-stable for many months. That rules out many of the traditional methods that bakers say lead to great panettone: buttery yet light, with a fairy floss-like texture.

If it comes from a large factory, it's also less likely to be made the old way, which is also the slow way.

"You need to respect the panettone time," says Franco Villalva of Collingwood bakery To Be Frank. "It needs to do it on its own time. If you try to rush it, it won't work."

He, like other artisan bakers, spends three days making each batch of panettone. Steps include growing a starter (called a lievito madre), mixing two separate doughs, at least 30 hours of fermentation, and then hanging the dome-shaped bread upside down to cool. This stops the top from collapsing.

"Big bakeries make it in one day with a yeasted dough," says Villalva.

"It's not just labour intensive, it's intensive in the equipment that it needs," says Portnoy. "Not every bakery is set up to do it. You kind of have to decide you're going to do this."

All Are Welcome has a special "fork" mixer just for its panettone dough, which is gentler than a regular commercial dough mixer.

It's not just Australia that's having a panettone moment. Villalva says on a recent trip to Italy he learned that many small-batch bakeries have only started making panettone again in the past five years.

In 2020, a Panettone World Championship was launched in Italy, strictly for naturally leavened panettone. Last year, New York City hosted a panettone festival. Fashion house Gucci has even rolled up its sleeves, selling the bread via its Gucci Osteria restaurant.

With so much time, skill and investment needed, why are small-batch bakeries troubling themselves with panettone?

Villalva says the challenge is intoxicating for a baker. He also believes there is panettone "hype" on Instagram that's driving customer interest. Panettone gin, negronis and gelato are also being created.

Portnoy is seeing momentum build as the quality in Melbourne grows. "The more people doing it, the more attention it gets from customers. They can ask each other, 'Have you had panettone from here or here?'"

"It's really good to see that we have excelled our artisan skills [here] and we're able to produce our own traditional products, instead of buying them from overseas," says Mellini.

As for how to eat it, the verdict from these bakers is universal: fresh is best.

Unless it's been open for a while, artisan panettone shouldn't need to be toasted. But you should also buy it as close to the time you want to eat it as possible.

Portnoy says All Are Welcome's panettone is best eaten within five days of being baked. To Be Frank's lasts three to four weeks, while Cannoli Bar's is good for 40 days.

All the ways to eat (and drink) panettone this Christmas

GATEWAY PANETTONE PRODUCTS

Cannoleria panettone cakes

Rule-breakers will love this layered cake that you assemble yourself. Cannoleria arm you with piping bags, panettone and one of two fillings (lemon-pistachio or banana-Biscoff), and you get to DIY dessert for the Christmas table.

$70, available in-store (7 locations) or for pre-order at cannoleriabythatsamore.com.au

Piccolina budino di natale ice-cream cake

Maybe you like the flavours of panettone, but the texture offends you. Enter the ultimate compromise: panettone churned through vanilla gelato and turned into a bubble-shaped pudding of Christmas cheer. The frozen pudding features layers of gelato – panettone, choc-hazelnut and crema pasticceria flavours – plus textural Biscoff, feuilletine and sponge, set in a Bendigo Pottery pudding basin, which you get to keep. It's a convenient way to be the host with the most, and keep panettone lovers happy.

$120, pre-order only at piccolinagelateria.com.au

Zonzo panettone gin

It smells like panettone. It tastes like panettone. But there was no panettone harmed in the making of this gin. Instead, this Yarra Valley distillery (and winery) added burnt fig, apricot and dried fruit to the still and let it bubble away to produce an ultra-Christmassy gin. Drink it neat or, if you love the 'tone, splash some over a wedge of the bread with a scoop of ice-cream.

$68 for 500ml, zonzo.com.au

FOR TRUE PANETTONE FANS

All Are Welcome

Slow-rise, gently mixed, strewn with nothing more than currants, sultanas and orange peel: this is a classic panettone. The bakery is enticing sceptics with individual, cellophane-wrapped slices. Diehard fans can go straight for the blue box.

$50 for 780g, pre-order or walk in (locations in Ivanhoe, Northcote or Thornbury), all-are-welcome.com

Cannoli Bar

This Sicilian family-run operation walks the line between tradition and innovation. While traditional panettone "is the taste of Christmas", according to director Carlo Mellini, there are two other flavours: pistachio and Nutella. The latter two come with a piping bag so you can ice your panettone and double-down on the nutty flavours.

From $60 for 1kg, pre-order in-store (23 Riviera Road, Avondale Heights) or on 03 9337 7049

Old Evropa Bakery

This northern suburbs gem was recently declared to have the best panettone outside Europe at the Panettone World Cup. Entries must be made the old way, using a lievito madre, no preservatives and with only traditional fruit folded through.

$65 for 1kg, pre-order in-store (906 Main Road, Eltham)

To Be Frank

After selling 1000 panettones last year, this small-batch baker is primed for another big year of baking. Co-owner Franco Villalva has family roots that go back to northern Italy and he grew up eating the sweet bread.

$60 for 900g, pre-order or walk-in (Shop 1/4 Bedford Street, Collingwood), tobefrankbakery.com.au