The gluten-free and lactose-free pandoro is soft, tasty, and good. Yes, you can make it at home. Yes, you can do it very well. No, special flour mixes are not needed. Only natural flours. With a little patience and a few steps, you can make a good gluten-free pandoro and lactose-free pandoro to serve at the table if you have intolerant friends.
From Monica Bellin’s book “Living Naturally Gluten-Free”.
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- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Moderate
- Rest time: 4 Hours 15 Minutes
- Preparation time: 40 Minutes
- Portions: 1 Piece
- Cooking methods: Oven, Electric oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Winter
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups cornstarch (or rice starch)
- 1 1/4 cups superfine rice flour
- 3/4 cup millet flour
- 1 1/4 cups whole lactose-free milk
- 0.9 oz fresh yeast
- 1 tablespoon honey (generous)
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 3 eggs (at room temperature)
- 7 tablespoons soft lactose-free butter (at room temperature)
- 2 teaspoons xanthan gum
- 2 teaspoons psyllium husks
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon rum (or Marsala)
- 1 orange (or lemon zest)
Tools
- 2 Bowls
- 1 Stand Mixer Kitchen Aid Artisan
- 1 Pandoro Mold 750 grams
Steps
Prepare the flour mixture: in a bowl, mix 1 3/4 cups cornstarch or rice starch, 1 1/4 cups superfine rice flour, and 3/4 cup millet flour.
Prepare the starter: in a bowl, dissolve the fresh yeast in lukewarm milk with honey and mix with 2/3 cup of the flour mixture taken from the total previously prepared. Mix the liquid well and let the starter activate for 30 minutes covered with plastic wrap or reusable lids.
In the stand mixer bowl, combine the starter, the remaining flour mixture, sugar, psyllium husks, xanthan gum, and the flavors (vanilla and lemon or orange). Mix at medium speed for ten minutes using the dough hook. The dough will begin to thicken as the xanthan and psyllium husks activate. When the dough starts to come together, add the eggs one at a time, waiting for the previous one to be absorbed before moving on to the next. Continue working, incorporating the soft butter and working until you obtain a smooth and homogeneous dough. It may take up to fifteen minutes.The dough will be sticky, but do not add more flour, or the pandoro will be too dry.
Pour the dough into a slightly greased bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it rise for 3 hours in a warm place.
After the resting time, when the dough has doubled, return it to the stand mixer and work it again with the dough hook at low speed to give it a sort of folding action in the bowl.
Pour the dough into a 750-gram pandoro mold brushed with coconut oil or cake release. Cover with plastic wrap.
In a saucepan, bring water to a boil and then place it inside the oven on the lower part (I skip this step as my oven has a steam proofing function, so I use that) and let the pandoro rise on the middle shelf with the oven door closed for 45 minutes.
After the resting time, remove the pandoro from the oven, remove the plastic wrap, and cover with a sheet of aluminum foil. Preheat the oven to 356 °F and bake the pandoro for 45/50 minutes with the aluminum foil covering it to prevent it from browning too much. After 45 minutes, check the cooking with a skewer, and if it’s cooked, turn off the oven leaving the pandoro inside with the door ajar.
Remove the pandoro from the oven and remove it from the mold by turning it over onto a serving plate. Let it cool and serve dusted with powdered sugar.
The pandoro keeps for three days well closed inside a food bag. If it dries out a bit, just warm it slightly in the microwave.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
Can I replace xanthan gum with something else or leave it out?
No. Xanthan gum is necessary: it provides the elasticity and softness that gluten gives to traditional leavened products and prevents food from separating or crumbling.
Can I replace the psyllium husks with something else or leave them out?
No. Psyllium husks give structure to the dough by mimicking the gluten network of traditional products.
