Verona Butter Bread Cake (Star-Shaped Italian Yeast Cake)
This tall Italian bread cake relies on generous amounts of egg yolk and butter worked into a yeasted dough through long, patient kneading. Baked in a star-shaped mold, the risen loaf emerges with a distinctive silhouette and a crumb so airy it pulls apart in long, feathery strands. Vanilla perfumes the interior without competing with the buttery richness, and a thick dusting of powdered sugar before serving gives the cake its signature snow-capped appearance. Adding the softened butter in three stages prevents the dough from breaking and ensures even distribution of fat through every strand of gluten. Maintaining a proof temperature between twenty-six and twenty-eight degrees Celsius produces the best balance of flavor development and structural rise.
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Instructions
- 1
Dissolve yeast in milk, rest 5 minutes, then mix with 100 g flour for a 20-minute pre-ferment.
- 2
Add remaining flour, sugar, salt, yolks, and vanilla, then knead until gluten develops.
- 3
Knead in softened butter in 3 additions until smooth and elastic.
- 4
Proof 90 minutes, fold once, then chill for 30 minutes for easier shaping.
- 5
Shape into a ball, place in mold, and proof 60 minutes until about 80% full.
- 6
Bake at 175°C for 35-40 minutes, cool completely, and dust with powdered sugar.
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