450 grams (about 1 pound) white flour
80 grams (about 2 2/3 ounces) butter
210 grams (about 7 1/3 ounces) sugar
80 grams (about 2 2/3 ounces) live yeast
50 grams (about 1 2/3 ounces) pine nuts
80 grams (about 2 ounces) candied fruit, diced
20 grams (about about 2/3 of an ounce) anise seeds
50 grams (about 1 2/3 ounces) raisins
30 grams (about 1 ounce) vanilla sugar
3 eggs
Zest of 1 lemon
80 grams (about 2 2/3 ounces) milk
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 shot [1 1/2 ounces] of white wine (preferably "Vin Santo")

Mix 80 grams of warm with 150 grams of flour. Knead the dough. Put in a small bowl, cover with a clean cloth and let rise until the next morning in a warm room.

The next morning after the dough has risen, place in a separate bowl 20 grams of flour.

Add wine and 1 egg.

On a floured wooden bowl incorporate the risen yeast dough with the egg, wine and flour.

Knead the dough.

Place in a container and wait for it to rise (about 8 hours) in a warm room.

Place the risen dough again on a floured wooden board and incorporate the softened butter, olive oil, and then the pine nuts, candied fruits, anise seeds and raisins.

Place the kneaded dough in one large tall container that has been well greased.

Let the dough rest for another 8 hours.

Bake in a moderate oven until golden brown (about 50 minutes).

Mrs. Anna-Maria Benvenuto has collected hundreds of recipes from relatives, friends, and neighbors over the years. She recorded the recipes in Italian in numerous notebooks, often naming the recipe after the person who gave it to her. Mrs. Anna-Maria Benvenuto also copied recipes from Italian cookbooks, magazines and newspapers. The recipe in this entry was found in an Italian cookbook published in the early 1970s. Being an avid baker Mrs. Benvenuto tried out many of the recipes herself. However, because of her enormous talent and expertise, she did not feel the need to write detailed instructions as she knew how to make the recipes without them. However, when asked by this website's archivist (Mary Melfi) for details, she quickly volunteered the information. Nonetheless, as with most first generation Italian-Canadian handwritten recipes, it is understood that whoever attempts to duplicate them should have some knowledge of what they are doing.... Photo: Mary Melfi

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