Best and Worst Pandoro

Back in 2021, I did a panettone taste test with my Italian mother-in-law. It continues to be one of my most popular posts. Clearly, the world needs this kind of in-depth journalism. So, I convinced her to join me in another taste test to determine the best and worst pandoro.

Another Italian holiday tradition, pandoro translates to “bread of gold in the shape of an 8-sided bucket.” I consider pandoro as the lesser-known sister to the panettone. You’ll find more options for panettoni than pandori in stores, especially in Canada. But why? Pandoro is more attractive (panettone looks like a brown footstool), there’s no citrus peel, and, before serving it, you shake pandoro in a plastic bag with cocaine icing sugar. I had to wonder – is it time for pandoro to take centre stage?

I bought 9 brands, ranging from 12 to 30 dollars. I also made my own, which meant getting up at 4 a.m. to start the day-long process. Italians like to claim their food is simple, but I beg to differ.

In addition to my mother-in-law, I asked her sister, affectionately known as Zia P, to join us. How would these nonnas rank the pandori? My husband also joined. Funny how he’s only interested in my taste tests when they involve Italian food. No one knew which brand they were tasting to keep our rankings objective.

Which pandoro won gold and which got panned? And would this trio sniff out the one made by a mangiacake? Read on for our results!

1) Bauli, $14.95

The only round box contender, I picked up Bauli at No Frills. While the colour sets it apart, I’m not sure lavender is putting the holiday jingle in my bells. That said, it’s a square box world and sometimes, you need to find a way a-round the competition. (Sorry.)

Bauli high-definition interior shot.

Tasting notes: “You can taste the butter too much,” my mother-in-law said. (I don’t know how this is bad. Is there such a thing as too much butter taste?) My husband also found it buttery, but that was a plus for him. Zia P thought it had a good aroma but was too sweet. I thought it was a bit bland.

Verdict: You’re either a Bauli butter person or not.

2) Chiostro di Saronno, $30

This was the most expensive pandoro we sampled. I bought it at a speciality shop crammed with every panettone you can imagine. And it came in the biggest box. But, as we all know, size doesn’t matter; it’s what’s inside that counts.

Chiostro di Saronno high definition interior shot

Tasting notes: “I would buy this,” my mother-in-law said. She felt it had good texture and wasn’t too sweet. (The Italians, I’ve learned over the years, don’t like anything too sweet. One day, I’ll tell you about the time I showed up for my mother-in-law’s birthday with a buttercream frosted cake.) Zia P and my husband also gave it the thumbs up. I thought Chiostro delivered good, all-around flavour but not 30 bucks worth.

Verdict: We like big box and we can’t deny.

3) Longo’s, $12.97

An Italian supermarket chain, Longo’s brand name products have had mixed results in my taste tests over the years. I found their pandoro packaging a little uninspiring. Not to mention the text was printed crooked. Or maybe my head was tilted. Anyway, did Longo’s come up short?

Longo’s high definition interior shot

Tasting notes: Both Zia P and my husband said this was soft, flavourful, and had a nice aroma. My mother-in-law said it didn’t leave an after-taste and thought it was nice. I thought it was a bit sweet, but overall, not bad.

Verdict: Crooked or not, Longo’s is straight in the running.

4) Festa $11.99

I got this brand at Metro. The packaging seemed a bit weird. Is it me or do you also see a glass of beer? I also kept calling it Fiesta. Clearly, I drink too much and can’t read.

Festa high definition interior shot

Tasting notes: The sisters agreed: This pandoro was too sweet for their liking. That said, it also scored points for its buttery taste. I found it a bit dry and had slightly bitter notes, almost like it was slightly burnt. It left me wanting a beer to wash it down. 

Verdict: Festa wasn’t the besta.

5) Tre Marie, $19.99

Coming in as the second most expensive pandoro, the Tre Marie brand seems to be fairly respected by Italians. My husband said this was the brand his family usually bought. Were the Three Marys a triple threat?

Tre Marie high definition interior shot

Tasting notes: My mother-in-law thought this one wasn’t bad. “It’s very moist,” she said. But she found it on the sweet side. My husband thought it was light. I didn’t find it all that memorable. Zia P didn’t have much to say. (I think, by this point, she was wondering how she got involved in this taste test.)

Verdict: Tre’s a crowd.

6) GiGi, $14.69

I got this pandoro at a local specialty shop. I thought the packaging was festive and I could see keeping the box to make a holiday lantern. (More on that later.) GiGi also boasted non-GMO ingredients, which was a plus. Would GiGi go-go in this competition?

GiGi high definition interior shot

Tasting notes: Sadly, GiGi’s box was the one thing it had going for it. It didn’t win over the tasters. “Dryer taste,” my mother-in-law’s notes read. “Stale. (Not.)” Zia P didn’t like it either. Overall, GiGi was the driest of the bunch. Mind you, we still hadn’t tried mine at this point.

Photographic evidence of my mother-in-law’s tasting notes.

Verdict: We weren’t sad to see it GoneGone.

7) Gioia, $12.99

I got this brand at Metro, as well. The box tells you how to pronounce the name (“Joy-ah”). Clearly, their target market is non-Italians. There was also an illustrated character on the box riding a moped.

Maybe it’s Pan-Dora the Explorer?

Gioia high definition interior shot.

Tasting notes: My mother-in-law said it had an aftertaste and wasn’t her favourite. My husband thought it was moist. Zia P said she liked it better than the last one, but, by this point in the taste test, I was having trouble remembering what the last one was. I have a feeling Zia P was, too.

Verdict: Not much joy in the Gioia.

8) Aurora $14.39

This brand was declared the winner by my mother-in-law and husband in our panettone test a few years back. Needless to say, the pandoro pressure was on. Would Aurora keep its crown?

Aurora high definition interior shot.

Tasting notes: The sisters both noted an almond taste, but didn’t consider that a bad thing. But Aurora wasn’t anyone’s favourite. I thought my piece tasted slightly over-baked and had a chewiness that knocked a few points off for me.

Verdict: Not looking like a double win.

9) Granducale, $12

I picked this up at Wal-Mart. I had high hopes, since Granducale made it to the top two of our panettone taste test. And the fact that it’s at Wal-Mart means it’s widely available. Should you want to go to Wal-Mart. During the holiday season. You might really want to think about that.

Granducale high definition interior shot

Tasting notes: “I’d definitely buy it,” my mother-in-law said, adding there was no aftertaste. Zia P also had high praise. I thought it was a bit bland but, really, who’s paying attention to what the mangiacake says?

Photographic evidence of my mother-in-law’s tasting notes.

Verdict: Good luck at Wal-Mart.

10) Il Briano di Francisco

I found a YouTube video that looked like an authentic pandoro recipe. Having said that, it was in Italian. I also didn’t have time to source a pandoro mold. So, I found another YouTube video that showed how to make a mold from a foil baking pan.

Pandoro mold high definition exterior shot.

Let’s just say things didn’t go according to plan. My pandoro didn’t rise. The recipe called for fresh yeast, and I could only find dry. The pandoro came out 3 inches high and bore a strange resemble to an elephant foot. It weighed as much one, too. Here it is next to a regular pandoro for perspective.

David vs. Goliath. 

“It looks more like a pound-oro,” my husband said. The odds were against me, but maybe, just maybe, it tasted better than it looked.

Il Briano di Francisco high definition interior shot.

Tasting notes: There was a moment of silence when I placed the slices in front of the three tasters. At first, I thought they were giving my pandoro thoughtful consideration, but then I realized they were laughing so hard, they couldn’t breathe. “No, no!” Zia P exclaimed after taking a bite. “That’s not right!” All of them said it was horribly dense and dry. “Even toasting this wouldn’t help,” my husband said. My mother-in-law also said it had an aftertaste. That aftertaste was defeat. At least it was somewhat edible, I reasoned. And I didn’t put buttercream on it.

Verdict: A pan-don’t-o.

And the winner is…

Zia P and my husband were aligned. And their top pick was my mother-in-law’s number two pick. The winning pandoro was Longo’s! No doubt the Prosecco will be flowing at the Longo family household tonight. My mother-in-law’s first pick was Granducale and my top pick was the Chiostro di Saronno. In terms of the worst, we all struggled to pick one. (Mine aside.) Unlike the panettone taste test, there wasn’t a clear loser. We ended up going with Gigi given it was a bit stale.

I think our challenge picking the worst speaks to the power of the pandoro. In fact, I’d say you have a better chance of finding a good pandoro than a panettone this holiday season. You don’t need to break the bank, either.

And don’t throw out that box! Check out the Christmas lantern I made. Legend has it that Saint Pandoro would carry his lantern through the streets of Italy on Christmas Eve. If you were a good child, you’d get a Raffaella Carra cassette tape. If you were bad, you’d get a jar of Ragu.

As for me, I’m pandoro pooped out. I’ll be relaxing in my Snuggie for the rest of the holiday season, listening to the Jingle Cats. If anyone wants a doorstop in the shape of an elephant foot, make me an offer.

Did we miss your favourite brand? Are you Team Pandoro or Team Panettone? Leave a message in the comments!

All the best for the holidays. As they say in Italy, “Buono Natalie!”