Homemade Pandoro in a Star Mould

The preparation step by step

1. Prepare equipment and reserves

   Weigh 400 g of flour, 90 g of sugar, 7 g of yeast and 5 g of salt in separate bowls. Cut the 130 g of soft butter into cubes. Lay the star-shaped mold on a plate, without paper shirting it; shaping will be easier if everything is already at hand.

2. Prepare eggs and milk

   Break the 2 eggs of dough one by one into a bowl, check the shells and beat them with a fork. Keep the whole gilding egg apart. Heat the 140 ml of milk to about 30 °C, without making it hot.

3. Gathering the ingredients of paste

   Mix flour, sugar and yeast in a bowl or in the bowl with the hook. If your yeast needs to be rehydrated, use some of the milk already measured, according to its bag. Add the beaten eggs and milk, then salt. Mix until all the flour is moistened.

4. Gives elasticity to the dough

   Kneaded for 8 minutes at a slow speed, or about 12 minutes by hand by stretching and folding the dough. It remains slightly sticky. Scrape the edges when stopped and avoid throwing extra flour: it would make the brioche dry.

5. Fold in butter by small additions

   Add the 130 g of butter in three or four times. Wait for the first addition to be absorbed before the next. Continue for 8 to 10 minutes until you get a soft paste that stretches without breaking immediately. If it heats up or becomes oily, take a 10-minute break in the cool.

6. Fragrance without tearing the paste

   Incorporate the vanilla teaspoon into the dough already kneaded. Keep 15 g of moulds butter and 25 g of icing sugar aside. This version uses a simple brioche paste; it is not the traditional formula with several pastas and long rest.

7. Let it rise slowly

   Let stand for about 1 h 30 at 24 °C until the dough almost doubles in volume. Time depends on your room and yeast; watch the swelling rather than the clock alone. If it does not move, do not put it in a hot oven: check the temperature of the room.

8. Shape the planned form

   Carefully butter a 1 kg pandoro pan with the 15 g of butter reserved for the pan. Degasses the dough and folds its edges towards the center. Turn it over and form a smooth ball; place the smooth face against the starry bottom of the mold. Keep space for the shoot, without exceeding half its height at the start.

9. Wait for the second rise

   Cover with a light cloth and lets inflate 45 to 60 minutes away from drafts. Parts should look flexible and light. Prevent swelling in the mold or on the plate. Towards the end of this wait, preheat the oven to 175 °C, conventional oven setting (no fan).

10. Dore without falling back

    Break the gilding egg in a bowl and beat it with a fork. Brush a thin layer over the top, without pressing on the puffy dough. Do not let egg wash pool around the base of the pieces: it would brown too quickly.

11. Cuis by monitoring the color

    Bake at mid-height for about 45 minutes. The surface should be golden and the underside cooked. If the top goes fast, cover it loosely with a sheet of baking paper. A probe in the center of a large brioche can aim at 92 to 94 °C; small parts can also be controlled by opening a control part.

12. Cool before serving

    Go out with the oven gloves. Wait 10 minutes before unmolding a large brioche, then place on a wire rack. Allow to cool 1 hour before cutting; for small rooms, 30 to 45 minutes is enough. A still hot crumb gets mugged under the knife and looks wetter than after cooling. Once cold, sprinkle the 25 g of icing sugar with a small strainer. Do not add sugar on the warm brioche: it would disappear in moisture.