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Although Christmas is still almost a month and a half away, the panettone season has been underway for weeks. This typical Italian Christmas sweet is becoming more and more popular in bakeries. For this reason, the contest organized by the Escuela de Pastelería del Gremi de Barcelona to choose the best panettone in Spain generates a lot of expectation. This year has celebrated its 8th edition within the Gastronomic Forum Barcelona and there has been a surprise because both this award and the best chocolate panettone have gone to the same bakery, something that had not happened until now.
The jury, made up of leading industry professionals such as Georgina Crespo, Xavier Garriga, Iban Yarza, together with the 2022 winners, Eric Ortuño (L’Atelier Barcelona) and Daniel Jordà (Panes Creativos), assessed aspects such as flavor, crumb structure, smell and shape of the panettone, as well as another essential requirement: its weight had to be between 1,050 and 1,150 g.
The surprise was that there was only one winner in both categories. The lucky winner was the pastry chef Lluís Costa of the Vallflorida Xocolaters pastry shop, located in the small town of Sant Esteve de Palautordera, in Barcelona.
In the case of the best traditional artisan panettone, Vallflorida Xocolaters’ panettone is prepared 100% with sourdough and has no flavorings or preservatives. In addition to the exact weight, other requirements were to include fruits (lemon or cedar, oranges and raisins), to have a sugar glaze crown and, of course, to be homemade. As for the chocolate panettone, the winner is made with a ganache emulsion that mixes cream and cocoa and has a spectacular aroma.
Where to taste the best pannetone in Spain?
Vallflorida Xocolaters is located in Sant Esteve Palautordera (Barcelona), a very small village (2,749 inhabitants) in Montseny. Lluís Costa has been making panettones for almost a decade, after having traveled to Italy on numerous occasions to perfect his technique.
The classic fruit panettone costs 25 €, while the chocolate panettone has the same price, 25 €.
Carretera del Montseny, 12, 08461 Sant Esteve de Palautordera, Barcelona