What is the difference between panettone and pandoro?

Every December, Italian supermarkets build walls of tall boxes, and every Italian household has a position. Panettone people and pandoro people are not quite rival factions, but nearly. Most homes end up with one of each, and the leftovers last well into January. Here is how to tell them apart and what to do with them once the novelty fades.

Panettone: Milan, fruit, dome

According to Wikipedia's panettone entry, Italian historical accounts consistently place its origin in Milan. It rises from a cylindrical base into a dome, and raisins and pieces of candied orange and citron are scattered through the dough. It is a rich, yeasted bread, and the same entry notes that the proofing alone takes several days, which gives it its characteristic airy, stringy texture: tear a good one and it pulls apart in long, soft strands.

There are many legends about its invention, most involving a baker called Toni and a romance. Wikipedia retells them; we suggest enjoying them the way you enjoy the bread itself, with a pinch of indulgence.

Pandoro: Verona, butter, star

Wikipedia's pandoro entry associates it with Verona and dates its modern history to an 1894 patent by Domenico Melegatti for producing it industrially. It is baked in a tall, eight-pointed star mould, and it is made from flour, eggs, butter and sugar, with no fruit. It is often dusted with vanilla-scented icing sugar, which the same entry says is meant to evoke the snowy Alps at Christmas. Boxed ones usually include a sachet: tip it into the bag with the cake and shake.

The crumb is yellow from the eggs, very soft and fine, more like a light, buttery brioche than a fruit bread.

The rules, literally

Both names are regulated in Italy. A decree of 22 July 2005 sets out the required and optional ingredients and the production process for panettone, pandoro and a few other baked goods, according to a guide published by the Turin Chamber of Commerce. It sets minimum amounts of certain ingredients, such as butter, egg yolk, raisins and candied peel for panettone, and requires a panettone without raisins or candied peel to say so in its name. So a "panettone" on an Italian shelf has to earn the word.

Side by side

• Origin: panettone, Milan; pandoro, Verona.
• Shape: panettone, tall dome on a cylinder; pandoro, eight-pointed star.
• Inside: panettone, raisins and candied peel; pandoro, plain golden crumb.
• Texture: panettone, airy and stringy; pandoro, soft, fine and buttery.
• Finish: panettone, often a glazed or plain top; pandoro, a snowfall of icing sugar.

Both now come in endless variations: chocolate, pistachio cream, limoncello, filled, glazed. Classic first, then experiment.

How to serve them

Warm a slice briefly so the butter softens and the aroma comes back. Serve with a glass of sweet wine or spumante, a cup of coffee, or a spoon of mascarpone cream. A favourite trick with pandoro is to slice it horizontally into star-shaped layers and stack them with cream into a Christmas tree; that is about as festive as baking gets.

What to do with the leftovers

Slightly stale panettone or pandoro is, if anything, more useful than fresh.

• French toast. Thick slices dipped in egg and milk, fried in butter. Spectacular with panettone.
• Bread and butter pudding. Layer slices in a dish, pour over custard, bake until set and golden.
• Toasted with butter. Breakfast, with coffee.
• A tiramisù-style trifle. Pandoro soaked in coffee or orange juice, layered with mascarpone cream and cocoa.
• Croutons for dessert. Cubes toasted in butter and sugar, over ice cream or poached fruit.
• Freeze it. Slices freeze well, wrapped, ready for toasting.

For more ideas from stale bread of any sort, see using stale bread.