BreadDessertsIcing SugarSugar

Pandoro

‘Pandoro’ is a classic Italian sweet bread originating from Verona, that translates to ‘Golden bread’. This festive star-shaped cake is traditionally eaten for breakfast or dessert at Christmas time. It is dusted with icing sugar to resemble the peaks of the Alps. Try creating this intricate recipe, you will not be disappointed!

Prep Time: 1 hour
Cooking Time: 60-70 mins
8 people

Used in this recipe

Ingredients

Sponge Stage

5g dried yeast
15 (approx.) strands of saffron
70 ml warmed milk
90g plain flour
1 egg yolk
20g caster sugar

Dough stage

100g caster sugar
2 whole eggs and 1 yolk
320g plain flour
30ml Filippo Berio Classico Olive Oil
Zest of 2 lemons
45 ml milk
Pinch of salt

Lamination stage

125g unsalted butter (at room temperature)

Additional ingredients

Filippo Berio Mild & Light Olive Oil for greasing the bowls etc
Melted butter or cake release spray for greasing the mould
Extra plain flour for dusting (when rolling out and laminating)
Icing sugar for final dusting
Raspberries and double cream to serve if preferred

Method

Pour the 70ml warm milk in the medium bowl, add the saffron, yeast, 90g of flour, the egg yolk and the 20g caster sugar.
Stir together and then cover, Leave for 2 hours to rise and bubble to form the sponge.
As soon as the sponge is ready, prepare the dough. Mix together the 100g caster sugar, 2 eggs and 1 egg yolk, 320g of flour, 30ml of Filippo Berio Olive Oil, the lemon zest, 45ml of milk and a pinch of salt.
Now pour in the sponge mix that you prepared earlier, mix thoroughly and cover. Place in the fridge overnight to rise slowly.
Roll out the dough on a floured surface to a square (about 30cm x 30 cm) and dot the 140g butter on to it in a diamond shape, leaving four ‘wings’ of dough without butter on.
Fold in each of the corner wings of the dough to meet in the middle to encase the dough. Pinch all the edges together to seal the dough.
Ensure the table top and the top of the dough is dusted with flour. Using a heavy rolling pin, press down and roll the dough so it stretches away from you in a long rectangle.
Fold the top third of the dough over and then the bottom third over that, so you have a three-layer dough, make a little indentation in the top right with your finger tip.
Cover the dough with cling film or place in a large food bag and place in the freezer for 5 minutes.
Take the dough out and place the dough with the indentation you made at the top right again, but now turn the dough 90 degrees. Repeat the rolling out and folding over process once again.
Place the dough back in the bag or cling film and chill for another 5 minutes in the freezer. Use some cake release or butter to grease the Pandoro tin.
Take the dough out of the freezer and squash the corners up and inwards to make a ball shape.
With the smooth part of the dough facing downwards, drop the ball of dough into the pan d’oro tin (the ragged edges should be at the top).
Leave to rest somewhere cool but not too cold (not in the fridge) for 7 – 8 hours.
Baking and finishing can be done in the evening of day two. The Pandoro is ready to bake when it has risen to about 70-80% of the height of the tin.
Turn your oven on to 150C fan / 170C conventional, bake on a low shelf for 60 – 70 minutes. The top should be golden.
Leave to cool in the tin then turn out on to a wire rack. Before serving, dust liberally with icing sugar.

Classico Olive Oil

From £10.99

This versatile all-purpose Olive Oil is excellent for sautéing, grilling and roasting or as a base for sauces. Delicious with everything from meat and poultry to your favourite vegetables. Oil comprising exclusively olive oils that have undergone refining and oils obtained directly from olives.