How to make
The ingredients should be at room temperature or slightly warmed. If they are cold, the dough will take too long to rise. When you don't the time to prepare the ingredients from the evening before, warm the oven slightly to 100°F (40 °C) (when it reaches this temperature, switch it off), but no more, and put them inside to warm slightly. The panettone can also rise in the oven this way.
Caution: the temperature in the oven must not be hot, but at room temperature or slightly warm.
Activate the yeast in cool water or cool milk (about 3 1/3 tbsp (50 ml)), add a teaspoon of sugar and some flour so as to obtain a dense mixture. When doubled in size, it is ready.
Break the eggs in a bowl (leave one yolk aside to spread), add the sugar (melted if possible) and stir gently, then add all ingredients without the lard. Begin whipping with a mixer and gradually add the flour. When it becomes difficult to do so, start doing it by hand. The dough is ready once it can be kneaded but is still slightly sticky. Then start to add the lard gradually.
Put the finished dough in a bowl greased with lard or oil and cover with plastic wrap. When the dough has doubled in size, it is ready to shape into panettone. Make wicks (2, 3, 4, 5) and twist them together. When it rises, smear it with yolk and sprinkle it with sugar or seeds if desired. Sugar can be added as stuffing in the dough, but then you need to roll it out. Bake until ready in a 360°F (180 °C) oven from cold.
Caution: A panettone dough made with lots of sugar (1 1/5 cups (300 g)) might not become stringy because sugar prevents the gluten from forming strands. If you want strands, add 1 cup (250 g) of sugar and use a flour rich in gluten.
