1. Add flour, yeast, and salt into a dry mixing bowl. Stir to combine and set aside. Over low heat, melt margarine in a saucepan. Add sugar and milk, stir, and remove from fire. Add saffron powder and cardamom. If using potato starch, combine with the water and whisk briskly with fork. It will quickly reach egg-white consistency. Add to flour.
2. Ensure that milk mixture has reached a lukewarm temperature by testing with finger. If too hot, place in fridge for a few minutes. When you can put in your finger without discomfort, make a well in flour and add milk mixture. Use wooden spoon to stir ingredients, then use hands to draw in all the flour and make into a dough. Knead until it is a uniform yellow mixture. The dough will be fairly stiff.
3. Turn into clean bowl, cover with kitchen towel and leave to rise in a warm place for 3 hours. Measure dried and candied fruit into a bowl, add alcohol, and then add enough boiling water to cover. Leave to steep while dough rises. After about three hours, punch down dough and knead again. Drain dried fruit completely and add to the panettone dough, making sure to distribute evenly.
4. Gather dough into a bowl and leave in a warm place to rise for 90 minutes. Shape dough; one large ball for traditional panettone shape (a saucepan that is 18" in diameter and lined with wax paper works well.) If making mini-panettones, divide dough ball into 12 equal pieces and place in muffin tin, within cupcake liners. Leave to proof for 1 hour. After about 50 minutes, preheat oven to 365 degrees F. Slash small crosses into each panettone bun and brush with nondairy milk.
5. When oven is ready, put in the panettone and cook for 30 minutes (for muffin-sized) or 70 minutes for full size. Tent with aluminum foil if top gets too dark. Check doneness with a wooden skewer. Leave panettone to cool for a few minutes in the pan, then turn out to rack and let cool completely before eating.
Source of recipe: Recipe modified from: http://www.ivu.org/german/recipes/index.php?recipe_id=1740 [1]〈=de