This year I wanted to challenge myself with something truly difficult, the Cocoa and Chocolate Pandoro with natural yeast. In previous years, I had already made pandoro with sourdough, but I have to say that the cocoa and chocolate version is truly fabulous! I am satisfied, even though I still need to perfect some things. Making pandoro with sourdough is a bit laborious to manage, but nothing impossible, even if you don’t have fully professional tools.
Two doughs without laminating, but so much goodness, I recommend making it, but before starting, read the recipe to the end, especially to evaluate the times and procedure.
For the rest, I can only wish you good work and happy pandoro making!
- Difficulty: Difficult
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 1 Day 1 Hour
- Preparation time: 2 Days
- Portions: 6/8
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Energy 255.33 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 30.28 (g) of which sugars 14.59 (g)
- Proteins 4.95 (g)
- Fat 13.51 (g) of which saturated 7.08 (g)of which unsaturated 3.70 (g)
- Fibers 1.10 (g)
- Sodium 93.26 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 60 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 Cocoa and Chocolate Pandoro
- 3.5 oz sourdough (Refreshed at least 3 times during the day)
- 0.5 cup sugar
- 3 egg whites (About 110 g)
- 1.25 cup Manitoba flour
- 3 tbsp water
- 0.35 cup butter (Room temperature, softened butter)
- 2/3 cup Manitoba flour
- 0.25 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1.5 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp wildflower honey
- 0.35 cup butter (Melted and cooled butter)
- 3 egg yolks (About 51 g)
- 0.5 tsp salt
- 3.5 oz dark chocolate chips
- 3.5 oz white chocolate chips
- 1 tbsp butter (For the mold)
- as needed flour (For the mold)
- as needed powdered sugar (For decoration)
Tools
- Pan 1 kg pandoro mold
- 1 Stand Mixer
- Bowl (large)
- Plastic wrap
- Dishcloth
- Hook for stand mixer
- 1 Thermometer
- 1 Scale
Preparation of Cocoa and Chocolate Pandoro
I’ll leave you the 1 kg pandoro mold that I use, you can find it here
To strengthen the sourdough, I recommend starting to refresh it in the morning; so you can finish by the end of the day and start the first dough in the evening at 8 PM.
First refresh of the natural yeast at 8 AM.
Second refresh at 12 PM.
Third refresh at 4 PM.
First dough:
Preferably in the evening at 8 PM
Pour 100 g of sourdough in pieces, the water and the sugar into the bowl of the stand mixer. Knead with the hook whisk for at least 5 minutes, until the ingredients are well dissolved.
Add the egg whites to the mixture a little at a time and continue kneading. When the egg whites are well incorporated, also add the flour. Continue kneading for at least 15 minutes; the flour should incorporate until you have a dough with perfect cohesion. Once ready, gradually add the room temperature “softened” butter in small pieces.
When the dough has reached the right cohesion, remove it from the stand mixer; place it in a large bowl and cover it with plastic wrap, then place a dishcloth on top. Now let it rise in a warm place, even a turned-off oven with the light on is fine. Leave it for the whole night, about 12/13 hours; it should triple its volume.
Second dough:
The following morning, take the dough and place it back in the stand mixer, add the remaining flour “80 g.” and knead until cohesive.
When working the dough with the stand mixer, the temperature of the dough should never exceed 75°F. Check it with a kitchen thermometer.
Meanwhile, prepare the emulsion to add: Melt the butter and let it cool, add the egg yolks, sugar, salt, honey, cocoa, and emulsify everything.
Now add the emulsion to the dough, then prepare the dark and white chocolate chips, which will be needed later.
Work with the stand mixer again until you have a well-cohesive dough, once ready add the chocolate chips, mix for a short time, and then let it rest for about an hour at 82°F.
Take a 1 kg pandoro mold, butter it, and if you want to be safe, you can also flour it. Retrieve the dough and before placing it inside;
Round the dough: shape the dough into a smooth and homogeneous sphere with your buttered hands on a lightly floured work surface. This will allow the dough to rise evenly.
Let it rise for another 12 hours covered with a sheet of plastic wrap and a cloth on top. When it has reached the edge of the mold, the pandoro is ready for baking. Remove the plastic wrap to let it air, and in the meantime, preheat the oven.
Bake in a preheated oven at 340°F for about 45/50 minutes, always adhering to your own oven. There’s no way to check for doneness other than with a probe thermometer. It will be done when its internal temperature reaches 201°F. If it darkens too much on the surface; after 35 minutes, you can open the oven and cover it with a sheet of aluminum foil and continue baking.
Once baked, remove from the oven and let cool in the mold for at least 1 hour. Then, flip the mold over a wire rack, and when ready, remove the cocoa and chocolate pandoro.
A generous dusting with plenty of powdered sugar or, if you prefer, cocoa, and serve, but resisting is the right thing to do to enjoy it the next day; I can assure you it’s even better.
Enjoy your Pandoro and treat!
If you want to know more about the Story of Pandoro
Advice and Storage
To make a good pandoro, always use quality ingredients, especially butter.
To best preserve the pandoro, use cellophane food bags; I usually consume the pandoro within a week. If you wish to keep it longer, before sealing it in the bags, be sure to spray inside with food-grade ethyl alcohol. This will prevent mold from forming due to humidity.
If you want to enjoy the pandoro as if freshly baked, warm it up a bit to melt the butter before serving; you’ll taste the deliciousness!
Can fresh brewer’s yeast be used instead of sourdough for cocoa and chocolate pandoro?
Yes, you can use 18/20 g of brewer’s yeast
