Pandoro

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 450 g wheat flour (soft wheat flour type 0 – Manitoba), sifted
• 60 ml milk, lukewarm
• 3 tbsp milk
• 15 g yeast (brewer’s yeast)
• 2 egg yolks
• 135 g sugar
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 225 g eggs
• 1 tbsp salt
• 190 g butter, soft
• 15 g honey (acacia honey)
• 1 vanilla pod(s), pulp
• 1 lemon(s) or orange or mandarin, untreated, zest
• 1 tbsp orange blossom water
• Butter for the mold
• Butter for the work surface
• semolina for the mold
• Semolina for the work surface
• Powdered sugar for dusting

Instructions

Working time approx. 4 hours; Cooking/baking time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 4 hours 30 minutes

My own recipe, simplified version with brewer’s yeast; professionals can substitute it with “lievito madre.” Also suitable for Colomba.

For the pre-dough, sift 50g of flour into a bowl. Dissolve 10g of brewer’s yeast in 60ml of lukewarm milk, add 1 tbsp of sugar, and mix. Add the dissolved yeast to the flour and mix with a wooden spoon. Transfer everything to a food processor fitted with a dough hook and switch on the machine. Add 1 egg yolk and knead until an elastic dough forms. Cover the dough and let it rest until it has doubled in size. For the first dough, dissolve 5g of brewer’s yeast in 3 tbsp of lukewarm milk and add to the pre-dough. Switch on the food processor (dough hook) and slowly add 100g of sugar. Sift and add 100g of flour. Knead the dough until the flour is incorporated. Now add one egg (65g). Knead until the egg is incorporated. Now add the salt and 100g (sifted) flour. Knead the dough until it becomes elastic. Measure out 30g of butter. Now add this amount a teaspoon at a time while the machine is running. Knead until the butter has been incorporated. Now add another teaspoon of butter. Knead again. Repeat this process until the 30g of butter has been incorporated into the dough. Now knead the dough until it is elastic (about 20 minutes on speed 4 on my food processor). Cover the dough and let it rest in a warm place until it has doubled in size. This may take 3-4 hours because I used a small amount of yeast. For the second dough, add the following ingredients one after the other to the first dough: 200g flour, 35g sugar, 15g honey, the grated lemon zest, the vanilla bean paste and the orange blossom water, and 1 egg yolk. Knead for about 5 minutes. Crack 3-4 eggs into a bowl, stir lightly, and measure out 160g. Now add this amount in about 6 steps (the same procedure as for the butter). Once the last of the eggs have been used, knead for about 8 minutes on speed 4. From here, you would need to add 160g of butter to the dough, just like when making puff pastry (folding). My version is easier to prepare. Add the 160g of butter in the same way as the 30g in the first dough (using a teaspoon). Please do not rush. After the last piece of butter has been used, knead the dough until it pulls away from the bowl and is very elastic (about 30 minutes). Brush a work surface and your hands with butter. Place the dough on the work surface and gently spread it out with your fingers. Do not roll it out, or the air will escape! Now fold the dough like a piece of paper. Place the bottom third over the second third and the top third over the third. Let the dough rest in the refrigerator for a while (5 minutes). Repeat this process twice more (spreading, folding, and chilling). Now shape the dough into a ball. Grease the Pandoro pan and dust with semolina. Place the dough, smooth side down, in the pan. Turn on the oven light and place the pan in the oven. Let the pan stand until the dough reaches the edge. Move the pan to another warm location and preheat the oven to 150-170°C. For good ovens, preheat to 150, otherwise 170. Place a small bowl of water in the oven and place the pan in. Bake for about 30-40 minutes (depending on the oven). It shouldn’t get dark. Remove from the pan immediately and let cool. Store in a container or bag for food until ready to eat. Heat in the oven for about 5 minutes before eating and dust with powdered sugar. For the decoration and the filling, all you need is your creativity. Since this requires a huge amount of time and effort, I recommend baking double the batch and using only top-quality ingredients, especially the butter and eggs. Professionals can use 250 Lievito Madre instead of brewer’s yeast. The baking time is only a guideline, as is the resting time. The resting time depends on the ambient temperature. It’s best to bake it on the weekend. You’ll need about 20-24 hours.