Genovese Pandolce

The pandolce genovese is the king of Ligurian desserts. It is a must-have to sweetly conclude meals during the Christmas season. It has a circular shape with a diameter of 25 to 30 cm and a thickness of 10 to 15 cm, filled with pine nuts, raisins, candied fruits, pieces of fennel, and
crushed pistachios. There are two versions: tall and short. The tall version has a soft consistency because it is a leavened product made with yeast or sourdough. The short version is similar to shortcrust pastry enriched with raisins, candied fruits, and pine nuts.

The tradition of enriching bread with zibibbo (raisins or dried grapes) is ancient, dating back to the time of the Egyptians. The ingredients generally have origins in the Arab world, which leads us to think that Genoese merchants likely encountered them during their travels and then enriched them with additional flavours upon returning home. There are stories that each housewife jealously guarded her more or less secret recipe, notable for the considerable abundance of rare and precious ingredients. The preparation of this dessert required care and love, and there were even those who would bring it to bed to ensure excellent leavening.

Feeling like making a pandolce genovese? Start by soaking the raisins in warm water for 15 minutes; after this time, dry them with paper towels. Place them in a bowl and add the pine nuts, candied fruits, and fennel seeds. Melt the butter in a double boiler and let it cool slightly, while mixing the milk and marsala in another bowl. In a stand mixer, combine the softened butter, sugar, egg, the milk mixture, lemon zest, and sifted flour: mix everything until you obtain a homogeneous dough. Now add the mix of raisins, pine nuts, candied fruits, and fennel seeds. Remove the dough from the mixer and knead it on a floured work surface, folding it with your hands. Preheat the oven, bake the pandolce, and cook until it becomes beautifully golden on the surface.