If you love the flavours on a great panettone and enjoy the ease of making monkey bread -  where a bread tin is filled with balls of dough rolled in flavouring – then this combination of the two is for you. I’ve cooked some starch with the milk so the crumb has an extra-soft texture. Easy to make and if you bake it inside one of our panettone paper cases it makes a great gift for Christmas. Best served warmed for 10-15 minutes in a low oven so it regains its buttery softness.

Makes one medium-sized sweet bread, fits a 500g paper panettone case, or similar sized tin.

1. Mix the yeast with the warm water until dissolved. Whisk the milk and cornflour together in a saucepan then bring to the boil. Remove from the heat, pour into a mixing bowl and stir in the butter and honey until melted and smooth.

2. Beat in the egg, sugar, vanilla powder and panettone extract. Stir in the yeast mixture followed by the sultanas and candied peel. Finally mix in the salt and flour then knead lightly until smooth. Cover the bowl and leave at 24C for about 90 minutes until risen by half.

3. Divide the dough into 12 pieces about 70g each, and shape each into a ball. Roll each ball in cinnamon cocoa sugar then place them 4 at a time in the panettone case, until you have three layers. Cover and leave to rise at 24C for a further 90 minutes or until risen to the top of the case.

4. Spread a thick layer of the glassa per panettone on top, mixed with the whole almonds (or instead, brush with beaten egg and decorate with the almonds) and dredge with the nibbed sugar. Place on a tray before baking as some of the cinnamon syrup that forms might leak from the base of the paper case.

5. Bake at 150C fan for 50-60 minutes or until a temperature probe inside the panettone reads 85C. Remove from the oven and leave until warm before serving. If cold, reheat in a warm oven, or sliced and warmed in the microwave, to return the softness to it.