The artisan panettone is not only the king of the holiday table. It is a symbol of the balance between tradition, creativity and technological innovation. Today, more than ever before, master pastry chefs are not just making a quality leavened product, but offering true experiences that combine authentic flavors, appealing aesthetics and cutting-edge techniques.

“Sourdough is like a blank canvas on which we can paint emotions,” says Francesco Elmi, president of Panettone World Championship. “With my team we collaborate with artists who create works for the packages. The colors of these works are drawn inside the panettone through the clever use of ingredients, creating a real wow effect.”

Attention to ingredients is at the heart of Elmi’s work. “It is not enough to use an excellent sourdough starter: every element, from candied fruit to vanilla, must be of the highest quality. For example, we use specially selected bergamots to enhance the aroma of our panettone with candied fruit.” And this year the trendy aroma is coffee, alongside local flavors, such as cherries and currants in the case of Emilia. In all this, what is the role of innovation? “Thanks to 4.0 and 5.0 technologies, we can monitor the long leavening even remotely. This allows us to ensure uniform quality without losing the craftsmanship of the process.”

Aniello Di Caprio, master pastry chef at Pasticceri Lombardi in Maddaloni, Caserta, also confirms the crucial role of technology. “In our laboratory we produce 98 percent of our ingredients in-house. We use food processors and other advanced technologies to manage volumes without industrializing the process. This allows us to maintain artisanal quality and prevent waste.” Sustainability is indeed a core value. “For candied fruit, we start with fresh fruit, using only the noble parts and putting the rest to alternative uses. Even the chocolate cubes we make in house, starting with the highest quality cocoa. It's a lot of work, but it's worth it.”

Among the trends emerging this year, Di Caprio emphasizes combinations inspired by savory cuisine. “We created a panettone with peaches, walnuts and sage. The result is surprising and shows how important it is to explore new combinations. For local flavors, our Felix panettone uses buffalo butter, semi-candied apricots from Vesuvius and almond paste with lemons from the Coast.”

Both Elmi and Di Caprio agree on one point: panettone is becoming a seasonally adjusted dessert. “It is no longer just the symbol of Christmas,” Elmi explains. “With customized molds, perhaps under other names, it is offered year-round: a heart for Valentine's Day or a mustache for Father's Day, but always with the same unmistakable leavened dough. It is also thanks to innovation that we are seeing so many new flavors, new panettone and new leavened products.”

In short, artisan panettone continues to evolve while maintaining deep roots in Italian tradition, but looking to the future with creativity and technology. And at Host 2025, at fieramilano - Rho from 17 to 21 October 2025, panettone will take center stage with the Panettone World Championship 2025 curated by Accademia dei Maestri del Lievito Madre and Panettone Italiano.