Pandoro di Verona
A tall, golden, eight-pointed star cake scented with vanilla and dusted with icing sugar. It is Verona's iconic Christmas enriched bread.
- Prep
- 90 min
- Cook
- 45 min
- Total
- 135 min
- Servings
- 10
- Difficulty
- Hard
- Calories
- 420 kcal
Equipment
- •Stand mixer with dough hook
- •1 kg 8-pointed aluminium pandoro mould
- •Rolling pin
- •Pastry brush
- •Wire cooling rack
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 420 kcal
- fat
- 22 g
- carbs
- 48 g
- fibre
- 1.5 g
- protein
- 8 g
- calories
- 420 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Mix fresh yeast, lukewarm milk, 15g sugar, and 50g flour in a small bowl to make a starter.
- 2
Cover the starter and leave in a warm spot for 45 minutes until bubbly and doubled in size.
- 3
Transfer starter to a stand mixer with remaining flour, sugar, whole eggs, egg yolks, vanilla seeds, and salt.
- 4
Knead with the dough hook for 15 minutes until smooth, glossy, and pulling cleanly away from the bowl.
- 5
Cover the bowl and rest the dough for 1 hour at room temperature until lightly puffed.
- 6
Roll rested dough into a square, spread the softened butter across the centre, and fold into thirds like a letter.
- 7
Chill for 30 minutes, then roll and fold in thirds twice more, chilling 20 minutes between folds.
- 8
Shape dough into a smooth taut ball and place smooth-side down inside a heavily buttered pandoro mould.
- 9
Proof at warm room temperature for 4 to 6 hours until dough rises slightly above the mould rim.
- 10
Bake at 170°C for 35 to 40 minutes until deeply golden and a centre skewer comes out clean.
- 11
Cool in the tin for 30 minutes, then invert gently onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
- 12
Toss generously with vanilla icing sugar inside a large bag just before serving.
Chef's tips
Use high-protein Manitoba flour to ensure the gluten structure can support the heavy butter and sugar content. Generously grease every star groove of the pandoro tin with softened butter so the cake releases cleanly. Serve at room temperature or warm the sealed cake near a radiator before dusting with sugar to soften the butter crumb.
Ingredient substitutions
- fresh yeast → 5g active dried yeast dissolved in the warm milk with a pinch of sugar
- vanilla bean → 1 tsp high-quality pure vanilla bean paste
Storage
Store sealed airtight in a large food-grade bag at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Reheating
Warm slices gently in a low oven at 140°C for 3 minutes to restore the soft, buttery texture.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Under-kneading the dough before adding butter, which leads to a dense, collapsed cake
- •Rushing the final rise before the dough crests the mould edge
- •Turning the cake out of the mould while piping hot, causing it to tear or collapse
Serving suggestions
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