Zaffettone, the perfect blend of “panettone” and “saffron”

Introducing the Zaffettone, the perfect Christmas cake born from the fusion of the Panettone by Panetteria Ribotta and “Zafferanetto—the saffron from Agri-Geuna®”. Cecilia and Gianluca of Panetteria Ribotta in Barge continue their family business, passed down through three generations, with passion and expertise. It began with Grandpa Giovanni, then passed to Dad Tommasino, and now to Gianluca. Agri-Geuna® is an organic farm in Bagnolo P.te that took over the grandparents’ farm and renewed it through a corporate ethos highly attentive to the environment and through its products. In fact, they decided to grow “Nocciola del Monviso®”, “Zafferanetto”, and stevia. Once again, we decided to collaborate because it has become a tradition for all the holidays. Furthermore, we have a lot in common: we are both family-run; we carry on something that was already started by our grandparents; we are always looking for something new and unique… This is why we came up with the new Zaffettone: an artisanal Christmas cake, soft, made with sourdough, with magnificent proofing holes accompanied by an intense aroma of saffron blended with pears, caramel chocolate, and mandarin. The process begins with the first dough the evening before, which is left to rise all night. The next day, the other ingredients are added and left to rest for an hour, then finally the pears, caramel chocolate, and mandarin are added. After that, the resulting dough is divided into 750g pieces and placed in the molds for a further rise of about 7 hours, for a total of 20 hours! They call their sourdough “the times of life,” because it is the starting point for all the doughs, even if it is a slow and laborious rise. It is already many years old, but every time it is refreshed, it is reborn, so practically every day. At this point, the cakes are sprinkled with icing and baked. Once cooked, they are skewered with hooks and hung upside down for the whole night. On the third day, they are ready—ready to reach your table!