Steps for the gastronomic panettone

• To make this gastronomic panettone, you first need to prepare a pre-dough, the so-called “lievitino” or polish. This will give you an even softer bread dough. In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast with the milk and sugar. In another bowl, pour the flour and gradually add the milk, mixing with a fork to obtain a sticky mixture or dough. Cover with cling film and leave to rise for 1 hour in an oven preheated and then turned off for a while. This way, you will have a proper proofing chamber of 82°F-86°F. If you want to increase the yeast, the rising time will be shorter. The pre-dough will be ready when there are many bubbles on its surface.

  

• Once the pre-dough is ready, pour it into the bowl of the stand mixer and add the eggs, melted butter cooled down, 20 g of sugar, and 5 tablespoons of flour. Mix for a few minutes first with the paddle attachment and then switch to the dough hook. Then add more flour until you get a soft and firm mass, then alternate in 3 batches the water, the remaining sugar, and the flour. I did it in this sequence: a third of the water, a third of the sugar, and as much flour as needed to bring the dough into a stringy consistency. Finally, add the salt and the last remaining flour, knead even at speed 3-4 or a sustained speed until the dough is fully kneaded. It will take about 10-15 minutes total. If you don’t have a stand mixer or any kitchen robot, you can comfortably knead everything in a bowl and then on a work surface. Allow the dough to rise in a bowl for a couple of hours or until it doubles.

  

• When the dough has risen, turn it out onto the work surface and give it a reinforcement fold. Shape it into a smooth ball by rounding it between your hands or on the work surface to give it a regular spherical shape. Place the dough inside a 1.65 lbs paper panettone mold and let it rise until doubled or until the dough has reached the mold. Then bake in a preheated static oven on the lower shelf at 356°F for about 45 minutes or until golden. Turn off and allow to cool completely.

  

• Cut the panettone horizontally into slices. Place the base on a serving dish and spread the capricciosa sauce. Place another layer of panettone and then the third, without adding any filling between these two. This makes portioning easier. Make the second layer with mayonnaise, salami, and sun-dried tomatoes. Then continue as for the second free layer of panettone and make the third filling layer with black olive pâté and ham. Continue with the filling of mortadella and emmental slices, and finally, ham, spreadable cheese, lettuce, and salami. Always remember to leave a free layer between one filling and another without any filling. Then place in the fridge to rest until serving time.