Pandoro vs Panettone: How to Make Verona's Buttery Eight-Pointed Star at Home

Day 1 — poolish: Mix 100 g of the flour with the lukewarm milk, yeast, and 1 tsp of the sugar in a large bowl until smooth. Cover and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour until bubbly and slightly risen.

First enrichment: Add 2 of the egg yolks, 50 g sugar, and 100 g flour to the poolish. Mix with a stand mixer on medium (dough hook) for 5 minutes until a cohesive dough forms. Add 70 g of the softened butter, 30 g at a time, mixing 3 minutes between additions. The dough will look shaggy then smooth — that is correct. Cover and refrigerate for 8–12 hours (overnight).

Day 2 — second enrichment: Remove the dough from the fridge and let it warm up for 30 minutes. Add the remaining 4 egg yolks, 2 whole eggs, 110 g sugar, and 300 g flour. Mix on medium for 8 minutes — the dough should be elastic and pulling away from the bowl sides. Add salt and mix 2 more minutes.

Butter incorporation: With the mixer running on low, add the remaining 150 g of softened butter in 6–7 small additions, waiting until each is fully absorbed before adding the next. Total incorporation time: 20–25 minutes. The finished dough should be glossy, smooth, and pass the windowpane test — stretch a small piece thin enough to see light through without tearing.

Add the vanilla bean paste (or scraped seeds) and mix on medium for 2 minutes to distribute evenly throughout the dough.

Bulk fermentation: Shape the dough into a ball, place it in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and leave at room temperature (22–24°C) for 3–4 hours until doubled in size.

Prepare the mold: Butter the pandoro mold (or tall fluted bundt pan) generously with the 20 g softened butter, making sure to coat every ridge. Dust lightly with flour and tap out the excess.

Shape and final proof: Turn the dough out, shape it into a smooth ball, and place it smooth-side down into the prepared mold. Cover loosely and proof at room temperature for 3–4 hours until the dough crests just above the mold rim.

Bake: Preheat the oven to 170°C (fan). Bake for 40–45 minutes until deep golden brown. If the top colors too quickly, tent loosely with foil after 25 minutes. The internal temperature should reach 90–92°C. Cool in the mold for 15 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack and cool completely — at least 2 hours.

Serve: Place the cooled pandoro in a large food bag with the icing sugar. Close the bag and shake gently so the sugar coats every point of the star. Transfer to a serving plate and slice into horizontal rounds, or present whole and let people tear segments. Serve the same day it is dusted.