Pandoro (Christmas Bread)

Flavor: Sweet; Technique: Baking; Time: Several hours; Difficulty: Moderate.

Detailed Cooking Steps for Pandoro (Christmas Bread)

Prepare the starter: Mix 100g yogurt with 10g sugar, 6g yeast, 2g improver, then add 50g bread flour and mix well. Let it ferment for about 1-1.5 hours until bubbles start to collapse, then gently tap it down.

Soak raisins in rum a day ahead and cut them in half. Mix bread flour and milk powder for the main dough, then add sugar into the bread maker.

Add the starter, egg liquid, and orange peel jam, and mix for 15 minutes.

Add butter and salt, and mix for 15 minutes. Butter can be added in two portions.

Finally, add the raisins and mix for 5-6 minutes until well combined.

Let the dough ferment until it doubles in size, then flatten it to release air, fold it, and shape it into a round ball.

Brush the mold with oil and flour, place the dough in it, press lightly to fill the mold, and let it ferment in a warm place until it doubles in size, about 70-80% full.

Brush the surface of the fermented bread with egg liquid, sprinkle with crunchy bits and sesame seeds.

Place it in a preheated oven at 170 degrees Celsius and bake for 40 minutes. Turn the pan upside down once at 25 minutes.

Remove from the oven, unmold, cool on a wire rack, and slice the next day.

Slice and serve.