History
Pasticceria Flego writes that the nadalin recipe goes back to 1260, when the Della Scala, lords of Verona, asked a court pastry chef for a cake that represented their city, and that the pandoro grew out of this leavened cake at the end of the 1800s. Italian Wikipedia gives the same 13th-century origin, says it has no precise shape (often star-shaped, sometimes dome-shaped), lists flour, butter, eggs, sugar, pine nuts and almonds, and notes it received the Comune's De.C.O. certification in 2012.
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Common allergens: Gluten, Eggs, Dairy, Almond and pine nuts
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 400g 00 flour
- 100g caster sugar
- 150g unsalted butter, softened
- 4 large eggs
- 20g fresh yeast (or 8g dry yeast)
- 100ml whole milk, lukewarm
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- Zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange
- For the glaze: 1 egg white, 100g icing sugar, 60g whole blanched almonds, 2 tablespoons coarse sugar
Method
- Make a yeast starter: dissolve the yeast in milk with 1 tablespoon sugar and 80g flour. Rest 1 hour until bubbly.
- Combine the starter with the remaining flour, sugar, 3 eggs, salt and the zests in a stand mixer. Knead 10 minutes until smooth.
- Add the softened butter in 4 additions, kneading until each is fully incorporated.
- Cover and proof 4 hours at room temperature, or refrigerate overnight.
- Shape into a flat 22cm star (use a star-shaped pandoro tin if available, or a 22cm round tin and score the surface into 8 segments).
- Proof 2 hours until risen.
- Brush with the beaten remaining egg. Beat the egg white with the icing sugar and spread on top. Press in the almonds and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
- Bake at 170C for 35 to 40 minutes until deeply golden.
- Cool completely before slicing into 8 wedges.
Tip from the editors. The glaze-and-almond topping distinguishes Nadalin from pandoro; if you don't want it, you've made pandoro instead.
Where to eat nadalin
Nadalin in Verona
Pasticceria Flego ★ 4.6
Pasticceria Flego at Via Stella 13 in Verona makes modern pastry cakes and also caters to the tastes of those nostalgic for the pastry of the past.
More places near Pasticceria Flego
Not on this list, but close by, nearest first. Every one is in our guide with its address, hours and what to order.
- Antica Bottega del Vino (banco) Wine bar, about 100 m away
- Caffe Coloniale Café, about 150 m away
- Casa Coloniale Chocolate Shop Café, about 150 m away
- Caffè Barbarani Cafes, about 200 m away
- Caffe Filippini Café, about 250 m away
- Pasticceria De Rossi Bakery, about 250 m away
More cities are in research. Want nadalin covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.