HOMEMADE PANDORO QUICK AND FOOLPROOF RECIPE WITH VIDEO
Every year, the big question arises in my house: are you team Panettone or Pandoro? But in Genoa, where I live, it’s more about Pandolce or Pandoro… Who can say which is better—both are the undisputed stars of Christmas.
Honestly, while I produce industrial quantities of Genoese Pandolce Basso every year (I even won the World Championship with THIS recipe), I always bought Pandoro ready-made from a pastry shop or supermarket. It seemed like an impossibly difficult preparation, the preserve of Master Pastry Chefs, until I stumbled upon a recipe by chance.
To tell the truth, what attracted me was the description: a soft Pandoro, well-leavened, with brewer’s yeast, and guaranteed results. I couldn’t resist giving it a try!
So, I discovered that making Pandoro di Verona at home is within everyone’s reach, I’m not exaggerating. The only thing you need is patience due to the rising times, which are not too crazy (from 5 to 7 hours), during which you don’t have to watch it like a hawk and can even leave the house!
The dough for homemade Pandoro is made from flour, butter, brewer’s yeast, eggs, sugar, and vanilla. It’s necessary to first create the biga (a small dough to activate the yeast), which after a short rising time, is placed in a mixer along with the other ingredients.
You transfer everything into the special Pandoro mold (I purchased mine on AMAZON at this LINK), let it rise for a period ranging from 5 to 7 hours, and then bake for 55 minutes in the oven, where it will immediately release an intoxicating vanilla aroma!
In a reasonable amount of time, you’ll bake one of the classic Christmas cakes with an incredible cloud-like softness and golden surface, delicious just like a store-bought one, and no one will believe this fantastic Pandoro di Verona was made by you at home with your own hands.
Follow this simplified Pandoro Recipe of mine with brewer’s yeast, complete with all the tips and step-by-step video, and you’ll make a great impression!
You will find the ingredient list for preparing the PANDORO recipe with a 750 g mold and the PANDORO with a 1 kg mold (at the end after the notes).
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Affordable
- Rest time: 5 Hours
- Preparation time: 40 Minutes
- Portions: 8
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Christmas, New Year
- Energy 270.68 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 32.95 (g) of which sugars 11.48 (g)
- Proteins 6.21 (g)
- Fat 12.83 (g) of which saturated 7.58 (g)of which unsaturated 4.87 (g)
- Fibers 0.78 (g)
- Sodium 118.97 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 70 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
INGREDIENT LIST PANDORO MOLD 750 g (at the end of the recipe, quantities adjusted for 1 Kg mold)
- 1/3 cup Manitoba flour
- 2 tbsps water
- 1 tsp dry brewer’s yeast (or 12 g of fresh yeast)
- 2 1/2 cups Manitoba flour
- 2/3 cup butter (softened)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3 tbsps water
- 1 egg (whole, about 50 g)
- 3 egg yolks (about 70 g)
- 1 packet vanillin (or vanilla extract)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 orange peel (or lemon)
Tools
- Bowl
- Mixer
- Mold
Steps
Place 3 tbsps of water in a bowl and add the dry brewer’s yeast, stir with a spoon. Add 1/2 cup of Manitoba flour and mix well. The mixture will be quite compact and sticky. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 hour.
In a bowl, place 1 whole egg and the 3 egg yolks and beat quickly with a fork. Set aside. Pour the biga into the mixer bowl, add the Manitoba flour (3 1/4 cups), and start using the Leaf hook. Pour in 3 1/2 tbsps of water, 1/3 cup of sugar, and half of the beaten eggs. Continue kneading at medium speed.
When the dough is homogeneous and well-incorporated (you’ll know because it detaches perfectly from the sides, which remain ‘clean’), add the other half of the sugar (1/3 cup) and the remaining eggs, continuing to knead for about 10 minutes. Continue kneading until the mixture is well-incorporated.
As soon as the dough is ready and completely detached from the sides, add the softened butter at room temperature (3/4 cup), always continuing to knead, but one piece at a time. In this phase, it’s very important to follow the instructions and not rush before adding the next piece. You must be sure that the inserted butter has been well absorbed by the dough. I usually add the butter in 4 steps. In total, it will take about 20 minutes to complete this step. At the end, add the grated orange or lemon zest, salt, and vanillin.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work table, stretch it with your hands (not a rolling pin) to give it a rectangular shape. At this point, the dough will be very elastic and won’t break. Fold the ends toward the center one at a time and then flip the dough to form a ball. Butter and flour a Pandoro mold, then insert the dough inside with the closure of the ‘ball’ facing up. Let the Pandoro rise away from drafts, covered with a cloth or in an off oven with the light on. It took me about 5 hours to achieve perfect leavening, but it may take up to 8.
Bake the Pandoro in a static oven preheated to 293°F for 55 minutes in the middle part of the oven. Let the Pandoro cool before removing it from the mold. Dust with powdered sugar before serving and… Merry Christmas!
NOTES
BUTTER Use soft butter with a pomade-like consistency. Take it out of the fridge at least 1 hour before to soften at room temperature and do not put it in the microwave because it should not be liquid or hot.
EGGS The eggs, like all other ingredients, must be at room temperature. In this case, the weight of the eggs is also important since there are different sizes available on the market.
FLOUR For this type of preparation, the suitable flour is Manitoba Flour, more suitable for doughs that require long leavening. Do not replace it with common All-Purpose Flour as you would not get the same result.
CITRUS ZEST The fragrance and flavor they impart give a boost to homemade Pandoro: you can use orange or lemon zest or a mix of both.
VANILLIN Instead of a packet of vanillin, a teaspoon of vanilla aroma works just as well.
LEAVENING Always let the dough rise covered with plastic wrap in a warm environment, away from drafts. Depending on the room temperature, rising times vary: pay attention to the dough’s behavior more than the time.
DECORATION before dusting with powdered sugar, wait for the Pandoro to cool completely, or it might melt.
ADVICE FOR SERVING Pandoro is already delicious as it is; you can accompany it if you want with a MASCARPONE CREAM or PASTRY CREAM or slice and fill it.
BUTTER Use soft butter with a pomade-like consistency. Take it out of the fridge at least 1 hour before to soften at room temperature and do not put it in the microwave because it should not be liquid or hot.
EGGS The eggs, like all other ingredients, must be at room temperature. In this case, the weight of the eggs is also important since there are different sizes available on the market.
FLOUR For this type of preparation, the suitable flour is Manitoba Flour, more suitable for doughs that require long leavening. Do not replace it with common All-Purpose Flour as you would not get the same result.
CITRUS ZEST The fragrance and flavor they impart give a boost to homemade Pandoro: you can use orange or lemon zest or a mix of both.
VANILLIN Instead of a packet of vanillin, a teaspoon of vanilla aroma works just as well.
LEAVENING Always let the dough rise covered with plastic wrap in a warm environment, away from drafts. Depending on the room temperature, rising times vary: pay attention to the dough’s behavior more than the time.
DECORATION before dusting with powdered sugar, wait for the Pandoro to cool completely, or it might melt.
ADVICE FOR SERVING Pandoro is already delicious as it is; you can accompany it if you want with a MASCARPONE CREAM or PASTRY CREAM or slice and fill it.
BUTTER Use soft butter with a pomade-like consistency. Take it out of the fridge at least 1 hour before to soften at room temperature and do not put it in the microwave because it should not be liquid or hot.
EGGS The eggs, like all other ingredients, must be at room temperature. In this case, the weight of the eggs is also important since there are different sizes available on the market.
FLOUR For this type of preparation, the suitable flour is Manitoba Flour, more suitable for doughs that require long leavening. Do not replace it with common All-Purpose Flour as you would not get the same result.
CITRUS ZEST The fragrance and flavor they impart give a boost to homemade Pandoro: you can use orange or lemon zest or a mix of both.
VANILLIN Instead of a packet of vanillin, a teaspoon of vanilla aroma works just as well.
LEAVENING Always let the dough rise covered with plastic wrap in a warm environment, away from drafts. Depending on the room temperature, rising times vary: pay attention to the dough’s behavior more than the time.
DECORATION before dusting with powdered sugar, wait for the Pandoro to cool completely, or it might melt.
ADVICE FOR SERVING Pandoro is already delicious as it is; you can accompany it if you want with a MASCARPONE CREAM or PASTRY CREAM or slice and fill it.
INGREDIENT LIST PANDORO MOLD 1 KG
For a 1 kg Pandoro, the adjusted ingredient list is as follows:
For the biga: 2/3 cup Manitoba Flour, 3 tbsps water, 1 1/2 tsps dry brewer’s yeast or 15 g fresh
For the dough: 3 1/4 cups Manitoba Flour, 3/4 cup butter, 3/4 cup sugar, 3 1/2 tbsps water, 2 whole eggs, 3 yolks, 1 tsp salt, 1 packet vanillin, 1 lemon and orange peel
For the dough: 3 1/4 cups Manitoba Flour, 3/4 cup butter, 3/4 cup sugar, 3 1/2 tbsps water, 2 whole eggs, 3 yolks, 1 tsp salt, 1 packet vanillin, 1 lemon and orange peel
STORAGE
Air is the enemy of all leavened products, so my tip is, once ready, to immediately seal the homemade Pandoro without powdered sugar in a food bag (just like the ones you buy) or wrap it in plastic wrap. Once cut, make sure to seal it perfectly each time if you want it to stay soft.
