SINGAPORE, July 20 -- Last Friday, in the inaugural Asia Selection of the Panettone World Cup at Marina Bay Sands here, Malaysia claimed a milestone: Ang Bo Ling, baker-owner of Twenty-Two Bakery, secured first place in the Traditional Category.

For the Kuala Lumpur-based baker, the win was not just about prestige.

It was proof that a Malaysian baker could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the masters of a craft steeped in Italian heritage, reshaping it through his own lens and ingredients.

The Panettone World Cup has long been the ultimate proving ground for bakers of the Italian holiday bread.

The biennial celebration of leavened mastery has drawn competitors from national competitions across Europe, the United States and Japan, each ...