Pandoro di Verona

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Pandoro mold (1 kg capacity)
• •Stand mixer with dough hook
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Kitchen scale
• •Wire cooling rack

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the starter

   Dissolve the yeast in warm water and let it stand for 5 minutes until it becomes creamy. Stir in the flour until a shaggy dough forms. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until doubled, about 2 hours. The surface should be domed and bubbling. This starter is the foundation of everything that follows.

   The water temperature matters. Too hot kills the yeast. Too cold slows it. Use a thermometer until your hands learn to recognize 95°F.
2. 2

   Build the first dough

   In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the risen starter with the flour and sugar for the first dough. Mix on low speed until combined. Add the egg yolks one at a time, mixing until each is absorbed. The dough will be sticky and rough. Continue mixing on medium speed for 8 minutes until the dough becomes smooth and elastic. Add the softened butter in three additions, mixing until fully incorporated after each. The dough will break apart, then come back together. This is correct.

   Butter must be truly soft, the consistency of mayonnaise. Cold butter will not incorporate. It will sit in lumps and ruin the structure.
3. 3

   First overnight rise

   Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 12 hours or overnight. The cold fermentation develops flavor and makes the rich dough easier to handle. The dough should double in size, though this will happen slowly in the cold.

4. 4

   Build the second dough

   Remove the first dough from the refrigerator. Let it warm for 30 minutes. Return it to the mixer bowl with the dough hook. Add the flour and sugar for the second dough. Mix on low speed until combined. Add the egg yolks one at a time, then the salt, vanilla seeds, and lemon zest. Mix on medium speed for 10 minutes. The dough should become very smooth, pulling away from the sides of the bowl.

   Scrape the vanilla seeds against the sugar before adding. This disperses them evenly and prevents clumping. A naked vanilla bean with no seeds is worthless. Use the pod to make vanilla sugar.
5. 5

   Add the remaining butter

   With the mixer running on medium-low, add the softened butter for the second dough, one tablespoon at a time. Wait until each piece is absorbed before adding the next. This takes patience. After all butter is incorporated, increase speed to medium-high and mix for another 5 minutes. The dough should be glossy, elastic, and pass the windowpane test: a small piece stretched thin should become translucent without tearing.

6. 6

   Second overnight rise

   Transfer to a clean oiled bowl, cover tightly, and refrigerate for another 12 hours or overnight. The dough will again double. Two cold rises are essential. They build the structure that allows pandoro to rise tall without collapsing.

7. 7

   Shape the pandoro

   Generously butter a pandoro mold, reaching into every point of the star. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it warm for 20 minutes. Turn it onto an unfloured surface. The dough should be tacky but not sticky. Shape it into a smooth ball by tucking the edges underneath, then place it seam-side down into the prepared mold. The dough should fill the mold about one-third full.

8. 8

   Final rise

   Cover the mold loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place (75 to 78°F) until the dough reaches just below the rim of the mold. This takes 4 to 6 hours depending on temperature. Do not rush this. The dough must be fully proofed or it will not rise properly in the oven.

   If your kitchen is cold, create a warm environment by placing the mold in an oven with only the light on, or near a warm (not hot) radiator. Consistency matters more than speed.
9. 9

   Bake the pandoro

   Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the mold on the lower third of the oven. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 325°F and bake for another 35 to 40 minutes. The top should be deeply golden, and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 190°F. If the top browns too quickly, tent loosely with foil.

10. 10

    Cool and unmold

    Let the pandoro cool in the mold for 10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack. It must cool completely before slicing, at least 4 hours. The interior continues to set as it cools. Cutting too soon results in a gummy crumb. Patience has brought you this far. Do not abandon it now.

11. 11

    Finish with vanilla sugar

    Mix the powdered sugar with the remaining vanilla seeds. Place the cooled pandoro in a large bag or shake it in the box it came with, adding the vanilla sugar. The traditional presentation is to slice the pandoro horizontally into star-shaped layers, dust each layer generously with vanilla sugar, then reassemble. The mountain of golden stars dusted with snow is how Christmas morning should look.

Chef Tips

• •Weigh your ingredients. Pandoro tolerates no approximation. Too much flour and it becomes dense. Too little and it collapses. A kitchen scale is not optional equipment.
• •All ingredients must be at proper temperature. Eggs and butter at room temperature incorporate smoothly. Cold ingredients create lumps and uneven texture.
• •The mold must be buttered with obsessive thoroughness. Every point of the star, every ridge. If the pandoro sticks, three days of work are ruined. Some bakers butter the mold, freeze it, then butter again.
• •Pandoro keeps beautifully for five days wrapped in plastic at room temperature. It does not require the soaking syrup that extends panettone's life because the butter content keeps it moist.
• •Serve pandoro with mascarpone cream, zabaglione, or simply more vanilla sugar. In Verona, children fight over the star-shaped slices. Let them.

Advance Preparation

• •The process spans three days by design. Begin the starter two days before you wish to serve.
• •Day one: make starter, build first dough, refrigerate overnight.
• •Day two: build second dough, refrigerate overnight.
• •Day three: shape, final rise (4 to 6 hours), bake, cool (4 hours).
• •Once baked and cooled, pandoro keeps at room temperature, tightly wrapped, for up to five days. It does not improve with age but maintains quality.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 80g)