Colomba pasquale with the mixer: recipe

Easter, gifts and sweets

Easter, which always falls in spring, is a "sweet" celebration even at the table: in addition to the inevitable chocolate eggs, a gift that is always appreciated regardless of age, at the end of the Easter lunch there is never a lack of "dove", now available in a thousand versions, even if the classic one remains the absolute favorite.

Soft and delicious, thanks to the icing and almond coating, the Easter dove has a very ancient tradition, which links its origins to the siege of Pavia in 773 AD. and the gift of a dove-shaped cake, as a sign of peace.

Easter sweets

In our country, each region has its typical sweets that are prepared in the Easter period: wheat, milk and eggs, symbols of rebirth and abundance, are the basis for countless recipes that have been handed down over the centuries and which are still today proposed to celebrate the most important spring festival.

From the Lombard "resta", a three-leavened dessert similar to the dove, to the Venetian "fugassa", to the "sweet pine cone" of Lazio, a rich panettone typical of Ciociaria, to the famous Neapolitan pastiera, up to Sicily, with ricotta cassata and marzipan lamb to make a delicious dessert at lunch with family and friends.

Among the infinite regional proposals, the "dove" stands as a common denominator, whose name immediately brings to mind Easter and its symbolism, linked to rediscovered peace. Preparing it at home is possible, even if it requires a certain commitment: but the satisfaction of offering and tasting a genuine dessert absolutely repays the work done.

How to prepare the Easter dove at home

The Easter Colomba recipe is quite elaborate and takes a long time, which must be planned and managed.

For the part relating to the assembly of the ingredients, however, with the help of the right tools, the company will be less tiring: in this case, the mixer does the "hard work" and ensures the result of a cake prepared in accordance with the rules of the art. 'art.

Let's see together the recipe of the Easter dove in its four stages of processing.

Step 1: the pre-dough (by hand)

Pour the Manitoba flour (100 g) and the crumbled brewer's yeast (10 g), dissolved in water at room temperature (70 g) into a bowl; then, add the warm whole milk (30 g). Mix the ingredients well with a whisk, cover the bowl with cling film and let the mixture rest for about 2 hours.

Step 2: the first dough (in the mixer)

Transfer the pre-dough to the bowl of the mixer and, to mix, use the hook accessory: add more Manitoba flour (100 g), softened butter (15 g), granulated sugar (15 g) and 1 large egg.

When the mixture appears well strung (that is, when the gluten mesh has developed and the dough is smooth and detaches from the walls of the bowl), lay it inside a bowl and let it rest for another 2 hours.

Step 3: the second dough

Take back the leavened mixture and pour it into the bowl of the mixer, combining (in sequence) the sugar (85 g), the flour (180 g), 1 large egg, the salt (4 g), the softened butter (55 g), the seeds of a vanilla pod, the candied orange peel cut into squares (35 g) and the soaked and drained raisins (70 g).

Then, take the mixture and knead it for a few minutes by hand on a floured surface giving it two or three "reinforcing folds" (flattening it and bringing the outer edges inwards).

Step 4: the "maturation" of the dough (in the fridge)

After letting the second dough rise at room temperature for about 1 hour, cover it with cling film and let it "ripen" in the refrigerator for about 16 hours.

Then arrange the mixture in the special dove-shaped cardboard mold and let it rise again, until it reaches the edge of the mold.

In the meantime, prepare the glaze: add the corn starch (8 g), 50 grams of egg whites, the chopped hazelnuts (40 g) and almonds (50 g), the brown sugar (50 g) and mix.

Brush the cake with this glaze, garnish it with the sugar grains and whole almonds and cook on the central shelf of the static oven preheated to 170 ° C, for about 55 minutes.

Delicious desserts that are quicker to prepare with the mixer

Perhaps the procedure envisaged by the Easter dove recipe may have seemed too complex to you to undertake ... the task of preparing it in your kitchen.

But if you consider that, with the right tools, it is possible to make each dessert flawlessly and effortlessly, you will retrace your steps.

Functional and versatile, the planetary mixer is equipped - in addition to the kneading hook - also with whips to mix, beat and whip soft compounds: for this reason, it represents a real resource that allows you to fine-tune each preparation in less time and with less effort.