Easter, as always, arrives quietly. Every year, I bake the same adapted recipe, and I’m happy to share it with you. One essential rule: all ingredients must be at room temperature — including the eggs.

For the starter:‍

• ‍150 g flour
• 250 ml warm whole milk
• 20 g high-quality instant dry yeast
• 1 tbsp. unrefined sugar

For the dough:

• ‍‍400 g flour
• 3 eggs
• 180 g unrefined sugar
• 180 g butter
• zest of one orange
• a pinch of salt
• 1 cup of a mix of black raisins, cranberries, chopped dried figs, and dried bananas (soak in alcohol 12–48 hours in advance — I prefer gin, herbal liqueurs, or whiskey)
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla powder or seeds from a vanilla pod (sometimes I replace this with saffron)

Prepare the starter by mixing 150 g of flour with dry yeast, warm milk, and sugar. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise for one hour. It should double in volume.

Separate the eggs: 2 whole eggs + 1 yolk. Set aside the remaining egg white for glazing later.

Grate the orange zest and mix it into the starter along with the sugar, softened butter, eggs, and vanilla. Mix thoroughly until well combined.

Combine the remaining flour with salt, pour it onto a flat surface, and create a well in the center. Gradually pour in the starter mixture, kneading the dough slowly and carefully for about 10 minutes. The dough should develop gluten, becoming elastic and stretchy.

Gradually incorporate the nuts (sometimes I add walnuts, pine nuts, or almonds) and dried fruits, ensuring even distribution. Shape the dough into a ball, place it in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm place for 1.5 hours. It should nearly double in size.

Grease a baking mold with oil. Carefully transfer the dough into the mold, pressing it down slightly. Cover and let it rest for another hour.

Whisk the reserved egg white with 1 tbsp of water and brush it over the top. Preheat the oven to 180°C and bake for 1 hour if making one large panettone-style bread. After 30 minutes, cover the top with foil to prevent burning. If using smaller molds, reduce baking time to 35 minutes and cover after 15 minutes.