For The Cake:
2/3 oz Active baker's yeast
3 c All-purpose flour
5 Egg yolks; divided
2/3 c Granulated sugar; divided
1/2 lb Unsalted butter; room temperature
1 Egg
1 Lemon; zest of
1 ts Vanilla extract
1/2 c Cream
1/3 c Powdered sugar
For The Mold:
2 tb Unsalted butter
2 tb All-purpose flour
Pandoro symbolizes Christmas in Italy like few other desserts
(except for its sister cake, panettone, from Milan). It even looks
like a Christmas tree, a towering, star-shaped cake topped with
snow-white powdered sugar. It originates from the northern Italian
town of Verona, the romantic city made famous by Romeo and Juliet.
Like panettone, pandoro (meaning literally, "golden bread") has a
light, fluffy, yeast-risen golden interior and a brown outer
surface. However, unlike panettone, it does not contain candied
fruit or raisins.
These days, commercial versions often contain some sort of filling,
such as limoncello or chocolate cream. You'll need a high-sided
pandoro mold; the molds used in Verona are about 10" (25 cm) high, 8"
(20 cm) across at the top, tapered, and star-shaped in cross-section,
usually with 8 points. If you cannot find a Pandoro mold, a similarly
tapered cylindrical mold will do.
Crumble the yeast into a large bowl and combine it with 1/3 cup of
the flour, 1 of the egg yolks, and 1 tb sugar, plus enough water to
make a soft dough. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let rise
in a warm place for 2 hours.
Sift 1-1/3 cups of the remaining flour onto your work surface and
combine it with 1/4 cup of the remaining sugar. Place the risen
dough on top and add 3 egg yolks and 3 tb butter. Knead well and then
shape the dough into a ball.
Lightly flour the large bowl, add the dough, and cover it with the
cloth. Set aside to rise again for another 2 hours.
Combine the remaining 1/3 cup flour and remaining 1/4 cup sugar on
your work surface and work it into the dough together with the whole
egg and the remaining egg yolk. Knead the dough well until it is
homogenous; put it in a floured bowl and cover it with a cloth, and
let it rise for another 2 hours.
Flour your work surface and return the dough to it. Add the lemon
zest and the vanilla extract, then knead in the cream a little at a
time until it is completely absorbed.
Spread the dough out on your work surface and shape it into a
rectangle using a rolling pin. Cut the remaining 13 tb butter into
small bits and distribute them over the center of the sheet of dough.
Fold the sheet into thirds, and then roll it out again. Let it rest
for 30 minutes, and repeat this folding and rolling two more times.
Preheat the oven to 400 F/200 C. Butter and flour the cake mold,
turn it upside down and tap it gently to remove excess flour.
Shape the dough into a ball and put it in the mold; it should fill
the mold about halfway. Cover the mold with a cloth and put it into
a warm place to rise until the dough reaches the top of the mold,
about 20 minutes.
Bake the pandoro for 30 minutes, then reduce the heat to 360 F/180 C
and bake for 30 minutes more. Unmold the pandoro immediately and
cool it on a rack. Before serving, dust it with abundant powdered
sugar.
