Christmas Tree Sweet and Savory Danubio with a Single Dough
If during Christmas you have little time to dedicate to the Christmas menu and still want to impress your guests by enriching your table in a scenic way with Christmas-themed recipes, don’t miss this recipe!
With a single dough from my foolproof and super soft Danubio (famous leavened bread from the Neapolitan cuisine), you can create two Christmas trees: one savory (with cold cuts and cheeses) that serves as a Christmas appetizer and one sweet (with Nutella, jam, or custard) and you will impress your guests.
It’s a really convenient recipe for Christmas, because my Danubio is super soft and stays that way for several days, so you can prepare the two Danubio Christmas trees (sweet and savory) even the day before and have them ready to serve the next day.
This Christmas Danubio recipe is perfect and super tested, so it’s ideal even for less experienced cooks, especially since I guide you step by step.
If you want to create other Christmas menus, look for other recipes (sweet and/or savory) in my: “Christmas/New Year Special“.
If you love brioche and savory leavened goods, take a look at my Special: “Rustic Brioche and Savory Leavened“
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 3 Hours
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 6 people
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Christmas, Fall, Winter
Ingredients for Christmas Tree Sweet and Savory Danubio with a Single Dough
- 10 oz Manitoba flour (I use Caputo)
- 9.5 oz all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole milk
- 0.9 oz fresh brewer's yeast
- 1 egg (whole)
- 3.5 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 tsp fine salt
- 2.5 oz granulated sugar
- 1 egg yolk (to brush on the surface)
- 1.5 tbsp whole milk (to brush on the surface)
- 5 oz scamorza cheese (diced, or emmental)
- 3.5 oz Neapolitan salami (diced)
- 3.5 oz cooked ham (diced)
- 4 slices of processed cheese
- as required green olives (for decoration, optional)
- as required cherry tomatoes (for decoration, optional)
- leaves basil (for decoration, optional)
- 7 oz Nutella® (or jam or thick custard)
- as required sugar (in stars for decoration, optional)
- as required sugar (in granules for decoration, optional)
Tools
- Stand Mixer Kenwood with 1400 W of power, illuminated bowl
- Bowls
- Knife
- Teaspoon
- Brush for food
- 2 Molds Christmas tree shape
Steps for Christmas Tree Sweet and Savory Danubio with a Single Dough
For the process of the single dough for the two Christmas tree Danubio (sweet and savory), see my Danubio recipe (using the quantities indicated above in this recipe).
Once you have prepared the UNIQUE dough of the Danubio, weigh 10 pieces of dough about 40 g each and 1 piece of 70 g for the base of the tree.
Flatten the dough in your hand (NO rolling pin) and fill with the stuffing: emmental (or scamorza) and salami or cooked ham wrapped in the cheese slice and close this way: pull a flap to the center from above, then the sides and the other flap from below and pinch in the center to seal well and seal.
Arrange the balls in the disposable mold in the shape of a Christmas tree, don’t worry if you see gaps between one ball and another, during leavening and baking they will stick together (see photo below) and let rise for another hour and a half, at the end of the second leavening brush the surface with the yolk mixed with 20 ml of milk.
Before leavening
After leavening
Once you have prepared the UNIQUE dough of the Danubio, weigh 10 pieces of dough about 40 g each and 1 piece of 70 g for the base of the tree.
Put the Nutella in the refrigerator, it will help you fill the balls for sweet Nutella Danubio (but, as I wrote above, you can also fill it with jam or thick custard)
Flatten the dough in your hand (NO rolling pin) fill it with a teaspoon of hardened Nutella from the fridge and close this way: pull a flap to the center from above, then the sides and the other flap from below and pinch in the center to seal well and seal.
Arrange the balls in the disposable mold in the shape of a Christmas tree and let rise for another hour and a half, at the end of the second leavening brush the surface with the yolk mixed with 20 ml of milk and sugar stars in granules.
Before leavening
After leavening
At the end of the second leavening, bake both Christmas tree Danubio (sweet and savory) at 356°F (180°C), for about 30/40 minutes.
Once both Christmas Tree Danubio (sweet and savory) are baked, proceed to finish them with Christmas decorations (as in the photo or as your creativity inspires you).
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Shopping Tips!!!
To knead perfectly and conveniently, I often also use my Kenwood Titanium Chef Patissier XL planetary mixer with 7L illuminated bowl, integrated scale, and blender with 1400 W of power, a faithful ally in the kitchen for: kneading, weighing, whisking, melting chocolate, pasteurizing eggs.
If you are looking for a more economical and smaller model of planetary mixer, you can safely choose to purchase a Kenwood Titanium Chef Baker, with dual 5L and 3.5L bowls, 1200W of power.
To give the Danubio the shape of a Christmas Tree, I purchased these 2 Christmas Tree Molds 25x32cm (max dough quantity 900gr) sturdy disposable baking paper.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
What is Danubio?
Danubio is a brioche from the Neapolitan tradition, consisting of soft balls filled with ham and cheese, very practical because each guest must tear off their piece of brioche with their hands (properly provided with a paper napkin)! For this reason, it is often prepared for standing buffets. Initially, it was mostly a savory dish, but the dough is so good and soft that there is also a sweet Danubio version (filled with spread, jam, etc.).
Why is it called Danubio?
According to some, the shape of this leavened bread resembles the waves of the Danube, while others believe the name was given by the aunt of a Neapolitan pastry chef (the famous Scaturchio) who lived in Austria, where there is the buchteln, a sweet Austrian leavened bread with the same characteristics as the Neapolitan one, later transformed into the savory version.
Can Danubio be frozen?
Yes! Once cooked, Danubio can be frozen (either whole or in pieces). To consume, let it thaw at room temperature and heat for a few minutes in the oven.
How long can Danubio be stored?
Danubio can be stored at room temperature wrapped in cling film for at least 3 days (but even longer because it is super soft).
