Pandoro Cake

Directions

1. 1
   Dissolve the yeast in the warm water, add the sugar, the egg yolk, and the flour.
2. 2
   Knead until the mixture is smooth and uniform in consistency.
3. 3
   Cover and let rise until it has doubled in size, approximately 50 to 60 minutes.
4. 4
   Add the starter to the yeast dissolved in the water, then add the sugar, flour, and egg.
5. 5
   Knead vigorously, then add the butter, kneading until it is completely incorporated.
6. 6
   Cover and let the dough rise until it has doubled in size, approximately 45 minutes in a warm area.
7. 7
   Add the eggs, the sugar, the flour, the salt, and the seeds of the vanilla pod to the dough; knead the dough until all the ingredients have been completely incorporated, approximately 8 to 10 minutes.
8. 8
   Flatten the dough, fold it over, place it in a bowl greased with some butter and let it rest, covered, for approximately 1 hour, until it has doubled in size.
9. 9
   Place the bowl in the refrigerator for 30 to 40 minutes.
10. 10
    Place the dough on the work surface and roll it out with a rolling pin into a square, place the butter in the center.
11. 11
    Bring the 4 corners of the dough to the center enclosing the butter, delicately roll out the dough to a rectangle and fold the rectangle into 3 parts.
12. 12
    Refrigerate the dough for 15 to 20 minutes, roll it out again to a rectangle and fold it over into 3 parts, refrigerate for an additional 15 to 20 minutes.
13. 13
    Repeat this step once more and refrigerate for another 15 to 20 minutes.
14. 14
    At this point, shape the dough into a ball, kneading it on the work surface with buttered hands.
15. 15
    Place the dough in a 3 liter, star-shaped buttered Pandoro cake pan, approximately 20 centimeters high.
16. 16
    Cover the dough and let it rest until it reaches the top of the pan.
17. 17
    Bake in a preheated oven at 170C for 15 minutes then lower the oven temperature to 160C for an additional 10 minutes.