Venetian Easter Fugassa: so soft you’ll love it

Venetian fugassa is perfect to prepare as an alternative to the more classic Easter dove. Let's find out the recipe of the typical Italian dessert

The fugassa veneta, or Venetian Easter focaccia, is a typical Easter dessert with leavened dough with 3 doughs during its realization. In fact, the preparation requires several steps, but in the end you will have a very soft focaccia. The hardest part? According to tradition it is recommended to wait 1-2 days before enjoying the focaccia!

Preparation of Venetian fugassa

1. To prepare the Venetian Easter focaccia, start by soaking the orange peel in the Marsala wine together with a part of the cinnamon stick and the cloves. Let it rest as much as possible and in the meantime prepare the dough.
2. Start with the yeast , to make it mix 50 g of Manitoba flour with 20 g of sugar and the yeast dissolved in warm milk.
3. Knead until you get a soft dough. Cover and let rise until doubled in volume.
4. Once the time has passed, take the yeast and put it in a large bowl (or inside the planetary mixer) together with 30 g of sugar, 200 g of Manitoba flour, 2 eggs and a pinch of salt.
5. Knead until you get a soft dough and finally add 50 g of butter at room temperature. Then cover the bowl and let it rise for about 2-3 hours in a dry place or until doubled in size.
6. Now move on to the second dough . In the bowl add 150 g of 00 flour, 50 g of sugar and 1 egg. Once everything is well mixed, add another 50 g of butter at room temperature and mix the dough well before covering it with a cloth and letting it rise until doubled in size (for about 1-2 hours).
7. Now move on to the third and final dough . Pour the remaining ingredients into the bowl, including the marsala and the soaked orange zest (eliminate the spices), except the butter. Mix well and only finally add the butter left at room temperature.
8. When it is well strung, cover it with a cloth and let it rise for about 2 hours or until doubled in size.
9. Remove the dough from the bowl, knead it a little more and give it the shape of a ball, then place it inside a special paper mould, score it forming a cross and let it rest for another 1-2 hours .
10. While you wait for the last rising to finish , prepare the icing . Whip the egg white until stiff and mix it with the icing sugar until it has completely dissolved.
11. Brush the surface of the cake with the icing, add some granulated sugar and some almonds (flaked or whole)
12. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 30 minutes . Remove from the oven and leave to cool before sprinkling with icing sugar, cutting into slices and serving.

If you liked this recipe you can try to prepare the Easter pizza !

Read also

Here is the Easter dove recipe (perfect for those who have time)

storage

We recommend consuming the sweet Easter focaccia within 3-4 days of making it. Store it in a cool, dry place, preferably under a special container for sweets.