Savory Christmas Mini Pandoros are an original and spectacular idea to enrich your holiday table. Made with a single soft dough and enriched with ham and cheese, they are perfect as a Christmas appetizer, for buffets, or elegant aperitifs. Thanks to the typical pandoro shape, they become an irresistible and very cute finger food to present.
Also try these recipes for the holiday season:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 2 Hours
- Preparation time: 25 Minutes
- Portions: 6
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: New Year, Christmas
- Energy 362.37 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 36.52 (g) of which sugars 4.69 (g)
- Proteins 16.95 (g)
- Fat 16.53 (g) of which saturated 5.39 (g)of which unsaturated 3.29 (g)
- Fibers 1.55 (g)
- Sodium 462.45 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 125 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for Savory Christmas Mini Pandoros:
- 3.5 oz cooked ham
- 3.5 oz scamorza cheese
- aromatic herbs (to taste)
- 2.5 cups Manitoba flour
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp butter (soft)
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1.5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp fresh yeast
- 1 tsp sugar
Tools
🛠️ Necessary Tools
🥣 Large bowl → for kneading by hand (or stand mixer with dough hook)
🍴 Kitchen scale → to weigh all ingredients precisely
🥄 Wooden spoon or spatula → to mix the ingredients
🧈 Mini pandoro molds → non-stick or silicone, 80-100 g each
🧴 Kitchen brush → to grease the molds with butter or oil (optional)
📄 Plastic wrap or damp cloth → to cover the dough during rising
🔪 Knife or dough scraper → to divide the dough into equal portions
🧤 Oven mitts → to handle hot molds
🔥 Static oven → for baking at 356 °F
🌫 Wire rack → to cool the mini pandoros once baked
Steps
For the preparation of Savory Christmas Mini Pandoros, watch the video HERE.
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In a large bowl, place the flour, yeast, sugar, egg, Parmesan, spices to taste, milk, and start kneading for about 10 min.
When the dough starts to take shape, add the oil and soft butter. Work until you get a smooth and elastic dough (by hand 10-12 min, with a stand mixer 6-7 min). Finally, add the salt. Add the diced ham and cheese and mix.
Form a ball, place it in a lightly greased bowl, and cover. Leave to rise in a warm place until doubled (about 1.5-2 hours). After rising, gently deflate the dough and divide it into smaller pieces (more or less equal). Shape each piece into a smooth ball.
Place the balls in buttered mini pandoro molds. Cover and let rise again for about 45-60 minutes, until the dough reaches the rim.
Preheat the oven to 356 °F static and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden. If necessary, cover with foil halfway through cooking to prevent them from browning too much.
Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes upside down on a rack, serve warm!
💡 Tips
💡 Tips
You can flavor the dough by adding pepper, nutmeg, or chopped herbs.
For a vegetarian version, use only cheeses and diced grilled vegetables.
They’re also great the next day: slightly warm them in the oven to make them fluffy again.
