The Easter Dove with Pistachio
Dough with Bimby or stand mixer
From my Sicily, here is this specialty, rich in tradition and flavors.
According to history, the Easter dove is a Lombard dessert.
It is said that around 610, in Pavia, which was the capital of the Lombards, Queen Theodolinda hosted a group of Irish pilgrims led by Saint Columbanus and offered the guests game and lavish feasts, but the saint declined because it was Lent.
Theodolinda and her husband Agilulf interpreted the refusal as a personal offense, and it was then that Columbanus, blessing the game, transformed it into white doves of bread.
Today, this splendid dessert, the Easter Dove, has undergone variations, so depending on the tastes, we find it with many fillings like this pistachio one.
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- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 5 Hours
- Preparation time: 1 Hour
- Portions: 10
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 950.09 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 116.91 (g) of which sugars 59.14 (g)
- Proteins 22.18 (g)
- Fat 44.82 (g) of which saturated 16.13 (g)of which unsaturated 19.33 (g)
- Fibers 5.61 (g)
- Sodium 130.16 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 120 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
Let’s shop for
- 1 cup cups butter
- 1 cup cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cups candied orange peel (or citron)
- 3.5 oz oz pistachio nibs
- 1/2 cup cups milk
- 4 eggs
- 0.88 oz oz fresh yeast
- 1 pinch salt
- 4 3/4 cups cups Manitoba flour
- 1 3/4 cups cups sugar
- 1 cup cups amaretti
- 1.4 oz oz sugar nibs
- 1.75 oz oz almonds (whole with skin or without)
- 1.75 oz oz pistachio nibs
- 1 egg white
- 5.3 oz oz pistachio cream
Tools
What we need to make
- 1 Paper mold for 1 kg dove
- 1 Stand mixer or the Bimby
- 1 Oven
Steps
Let’s prepare
Prepare with 3 doughs one after the other.
The first dough
Place yeast, the all-purpose flour, and 70 g of water in the bowl: set Bimby to knead for three minutes at Spiga speed. Do the same if using a stand mixer, mix for 3 minutes.
After kneading these ingredients, let the mixture rest in the bowl to rise until doubled, it will take 1 hour.
Once the dough has risen, incorporate the Manitoba flour, butter, 200 g of sugar, milk, eggs, and salt: set Bimby to knead for three minutes at Spiga speed.
Do the same if using a stand mixer, mix for 3 minutes.
After kneading these ingredients, let the mixture rest in the bowl to rise until doubled, it will take 1 hour.
After the second rise, add the citrus peels and pistachio nibs: mix inside the bowl until the dough is soft and semi-fluid enough to easily detach from the sides of the bowl (binding).
Now we can place the obtained dough in the dove-shaped mold and let it rise for 2-3 hours, covering it with a damp cloth.
When the rising is almost complete, preheat the ventilated oven to 356°F and…
We must grind almonds and amaretti together, so if using Bimby, insert the remaining sugar, along with amaretti and almonds, in the bowl: set to speed 7 for twenty seconds.
If you have a stand mixer instead, perform this operation with a blender or a mixer.
To the ground mixture, we will now add a previously beaten egg white: mix everything, and pour the obtained mixture over the dove, here you can get creative, placing almonds and pistachio nibs on the glaze
Only after the oven has reached temperature will we bake the dove in a preheated ventilated oven at 356°F for about 30 minutes.
After this period, cover the cake with parchment paper, and bake for another 25 minutes at 320°F.
To know if it’s cooked, just use the usual toothpick trick: if it comes out wet, it means it needs to bake a few more minutes, if it comes out dry, it means the dove is ready
Fill a piping bag with pistachio cream.
Using the handle of a wooden spoon, make holes in the dove without reaching the bottom.
In each hole, insert pistachio cream or, according to your tastes, introduce hazelnut or nougat cream.
Here’s a cut of the Easter Dove with Pistachio. Happy Easter to all of you.
The Easter Dove with Pistachio should be stored in a food bag and will remain soft for days.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
The Easter Dove with Pistachio
Can I fill the dove with custard?
Yes, certainly, you must always wait for it to cool down, click here and you will find my recipe for the classic and for the chocolate one.
