Ingredients
- Manitoba flour: 260 g + enough for the initial dough
- Butter: 150 g
- Whole eggs: 2
- Egg yolks: 3
- Granulated sugar: 200 g
- Brewer's yeast: 15 g
- Vanilla powder: 1 sachet
- A pinch of salt
- Honey powdered sugar: 10 g
- Water or milk: approximately 25 ml
Preparation
First, prepare the starter (biga) by dissolving 15g of brewer's yeast in two tablespoons of warm water or milk. Then add enough flour to obtain a non-sticky dough. Cover the container with cling film and let it rise in a warm place in the kitchen until it has doubled in volume.
Once the biga has doubled in volume, take it and place it in the stand mixer. Add 90 grams of Manitoba flour, 100 grams of sugar, and one egg yolk. Attach the dough hook and mix everything on the lowest speed. After about ten minutes, add another egg yolk and continue mixing until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the mixer, clinging to the hook. At that point, remove it from the mixer, work it for a few minutes with your hands on a lightly floured surface, shape it into a ball, and let it rise in a bowl covered with a cloth or cling film.
When the second dough has also doubled in volume, put it back in the stand mixer and add 170 grams of flour, 100 grams of sugar, 10 grams of honey, one egg yolk, one sachet of vanilla powder, and a pinch of salt. Start the mixer at minimum speed, and after a few minutes, add two whole eggs. After about 20 minutes, the dough should begin to pull away from the sides and clump around the hook. Beat the butter with a whisk until creamy and gradually add it to the dough in the stand mixer. Mix well. Continue mixing for another 20-30 minutes until you get a soft but workable dough. It should not stick to your hands; otherwise, it will be necessary to add more flour.
Remove it from the stand mixer and work it on a buttered surface for a few minutes, trying to shape it into a ball.
Butter a Pandoro mold (750 g) and place the dough inside. Let it rise until it reaches the edges of the mold. This should take 2 to 3 hours. Bake in a preheated oven at 190°C for about 10 minutes, then lower the temperature to 160°C and continue baking for another 25 minutes. If the outside starts to burn too much, cover it with aluminum foil. To ensure the outside of the pandoro also maintains its spongy consistency, the right level of humidity must be maintained in the oven. To do this, place a small container filled with water at the bottom of the oven.
Before removing from the oven, check with a long skewer (those for kebabs) that the inside is cooked. When removed, it should be dry. Take the pandoro out of the oven and let it cool thoroughly before removing it from the mold. Dust with plenty of powdered sugar or fill the Pandoro using an excellent mascarpone cream.
How to enjoy Pandoro
Pandoro pairs perfectly with full-bodied wines with an intense aroma and flavor.