For the Yeast Dough:

• 1 cup milk
• 75 gm unsalted butter soft at room temperature
• 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 active dry yeast
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 egg optional

For the Cheese, Pesto and Dried Tomato Filling:

• 1/4 cup crumbled paneer
• 1/4 cup basil pesto
• 1/4 cup chopped dried tomatoes
• 1/4 cup grated Cheddar cheese
• Salt and red chilli flakes to taste

For the Dough:

Day 1 – Mix, Fold, Chill Dough :

• Warm the milk and butter in a small saucepan over low heat, till the butter is melted. Cool to room temp before incorporating in the dough.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, yeast, salt and egg. Add the cooled milk/butter mixture and knead till a soft, smooth, and elastic dough forms. Place the dough in a large oiled bowl, cover, and let the dough rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours till almost double in volume.
• Turn the dough out onto your counter and gently punch the dough down. Pat the dough into a 10 × 6-inch rectangle, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight (about 8 to 24 hours). The overnight rest in the refrigerator improves flavour and also allows the dough to stiffen up for shaping.

Day 2 – Shape, Proof, Bake :

For the Cheese, Pesto and Dried Tomato Filling:

• Blend the crumbled paneer and pesto (I used basil pesto) till smooth. Keep aside with the chopped dried tomatoes and the grated Cheddar cheese.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow it to warm up to room temperature for 10-15 minutes.
• Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and roll out to a rectangle 1/4-inch thick and about 14 × 20-inches. Spread the paneer-pesto blended paste over the surface of the dough to the edge, evenly but not too thick. Evenly sprinkle the chopped dried tomato and then grated Cheddar cheese over this. With your fingers, very lightly press down the filling into the dough.
  
• With the long side facing you, fold the dough in half, over itself. Gently press the edges together. Roll out the rectangle into a 7 × 15-inches rectangle. Using a pizza wheel, sharp knife, or bench scraper, cut the dough into twelve 7-inch long strips. To make it easier to divide the dough, make small notches every 1 1/4- inches to use as a guide while cutting the strips.
• Stretch the 7” strips out to about 15-inches. To do this, hold up one end of the strip and gently pull the dough until it reaches 15 inches in length. Be careful not to tear the dough. If the strips resist stretching, let them rest for 10 minutes, then continue stretching.
• Using the pizza wheel, cut exactly in the middle of each strip, along the length, keeping one end joined. It should look something like a pair of trousers/ pants with long legs. From the joined end, twist both strands over each other like a rope all the way to the other end. Roll the twisted dough into a circle and tuck the loose end under the sahped bun. Repeat this will all the dough strips.
  
• Place the shaped buns on parchment-lined baking sheets, allowing space for them to rise. Cover and let rise in a draft-free place for about an hour, or till almost double in size ½ – 2 hours, or longer, until doubled in size.
• Brush the buns with melted butter or milk and bake them at 190C (375F) for about 25 minutes, till golden brown. Let them cool on a wire rack. Serve.

For the Dough :

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 3/4 cup chopped almonds
• 1/3 cup chopped candied orange peel
• 1/3 cup chopped candied lemon peel
• 3 tsp freshly grated orange zest
• 50 gm unsalted butter at room temperature
• 2/3 cup honey
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup apple juice

For the Sugar Glaze:

• 2/3 cup icing sugar
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp water

• Line the bottom and sides of a 9 x 12 –inch rimmed baking tray with parchment paper and set aside.
• Lightly whisk together in a large bowl, the flour, chopped almonds, candied peels, fresh zest, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, cloves, and nutmeg.
• In a small sauce pan warm together over medium heat, the butter, honey and sugar. Stir occasionally until the sugar dissolves. Do not boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the apple juice.
• Pour the hot butter- honey mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Stir together with a wooden spoon to mix well. The mixture will be thick and sticky, much like cookie dough.
• Scrape the dough onto the prepared baking sheet and press out with a spatula. Dampen your palm and fingers with water and spread the dough out to fit the tray. Also smoothen the top of the dough. Neatly dock the top of the dough with the tines of a fork. Work quickly while the dough is still warm. It becomes difficult to work with cooled down dough. Let the dough rest for an hour or two.
• Bake the dough at 220C (425F) for 15 to 20 minutes till firm and the top is golden brown.
• In the meantime, make the glaze by mixing together the icing sugar, water and lemon juice till smooth and thick. Brush this glaze generously and evenly on the surface of the baked dough.
• Holding the edge of the parchment paper, slide the baked dough from the hot pan onto a cutting board. Using a sharp knife. Remove the edges (if necessary) and then cut into small rectangular or square bars while the slab is still warm. IT will be difficult to cut once cooled.
• Cool completely. Store in an airtight container. These bars are best at least a day to a week after baking when bars soften a bit and the flavour of the spices comes through well. They will keep well for over a month if stored well. If they do dry out a bit, add a couple apple wedges to the sealed container (swapping out for fresh ones weekly) to re-soften the cookies.

For the Overnight Starter :

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• One pinch instant yeast
• 1/3 cup water at room temperature

For the Panetonne Dough :

• all of the overnight starter
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup lukewarm water
• 1 egg
• 60 gm unsalted butter soft at room temperature
• 1/2 tsp orange blossom water OR 1 teaspoon vanilla + 1/8 teaspoon orange oil
• 2 tsp instant yeast
• 1 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup chopped pistachios
• 2 tbsp orange zest

Make the Overnight Starter :

• Mix together starter ingredients in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Cover loosely and allow them to rest overnight in a cool pace on the kitchen counter for about 8 to 12 hours.

Make the Dough :

• Knead together all of the dough ingredients except the butter, fruit and zest. Knead by hand or using a machine. Add the butter last and knead to a soft, smooth and elastic dough. Cover loosely and allow the dough to rise, until it's puffy (though not necessarily doubled in bulk).
• Soak the dried fruit in hot water or hot orange juice to soften. Drain before adding to the dough in the following step.
• Gently deflate the dough, and knead in the fruits and zest. Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a panettone mould or other straight-sided round cake tin. Remember to line the bottom and sides with baking parchment so the sides are taller than the sides of the pan. Cover the pan and let the dough rise until it's just crested over the rim of the pan. This should take about an hour or so.
• Divide the dough equally into about 10 portions if making Mini Panetonne. Shape each portion of dough into a smooth ball and drop into greased moulds. Allow to rise till the dough just crests the rim of the moulds. Brush the tops with milk.
• Bake at 200C (400F) 10 minutes; reduce the oven heat to then reduce the heat to 180C (350F) and bake for 25 to 35 minutes, tenting with aluminum foil if the crust appears to be browning too quickly. Reduce the baking time if baking Mini Panetonne. Panettone should be a deep brown when done, should sound hollow when tapped.
• Remove the panettone from the oven and cool completely. If glazing with sugar or melted chocolate, wait until the Panetonne have cooled completely. Store at room temperature, well-wrapped, for up to a week; freeze for longer storage.