Panettone

Day 1, morning. Mix the active starter with the flour, water and sugar. Knead briefly until smooth. Move to a clean container, cover loosely and ferment at room temperature (22–24 °C) for 12 hours, until tripled.

It pays to refresh the starter two or three times in the days before you begin.

Day 1, evening. Combine the lievito madre with the flour, sugar, yolks and water. Mix until it comes together. Add the softened butter little by little while kneading. Add the salt last and knead 10–15 minutes, until smooth and elastic.

Put it in a bowl, cover, and ferment at room temperature 12 hours. It should triple.

Day 2, morning. Take the first dough and add the remaining flour, sugar and yolks. Knead 5 minutes. Work the softened butter in gradually, until fully absorbed.

Add the candied peel, raisins and vanilla and knead just enough to distribute them evenly. Stop when the dough passes the windowpane test.

Divide into portions, typically 500 g each. Shape into balls and drop them into the paper molds; the dough should fill about a third.

Proof at room temperature 8–10 hours, until it reaches the top of the mold.

Day 2, evening. Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Score a cross on top and set a small piece of butter in the middle.

Bake 45–50 minutes, until deep golden and the internal temperature reaches 94 °C.

Straight out of the oven, run two long skewers through the base, hang it upside down between two supports and leave it there until completely cold, at least 8 hours. This is what keeps it from collapsing.