The night before you want to make the bread, mix together the biga ingredients. Cover the bowl with plastic and leave it at room temperature overnight. If your kitchen tends to be warmer than 70 degrees, proof overnight in the fridge instead.
Combine the biga with all of the remaining dough ingredients except the zest and the fruit. Knead with the dough hook, for about 12 minutes at medium speed. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl once or twice while it’s kneading. The dough should start to come away from the sides of the bowl and form a ball.
Add the candied orange peel, the zest, and the raisins. Mix for another minute or so just to get the fruit combined.
Cover the dough and let it rise for about 3 hours in a warm spot.
Divide the dough into two slightly unequal pieces. Form on into a 10” tube and one into a 7” tube.
On a sheet pan with parchment paper, lay the 10” tube down and with the side of your hand make a dent wide enough for the 7” tube. Lay the 7” tube crosswise and flatten the ends to look like dove wings.
Spray with cooking spray and cover with plastic. Let the dove rise for 2 hours.
Heat the oven to 375 degrees
Mix together the egg white, sugar, salt, and almond flour. Paint the topping all over the loaf. Sprinkle the sliced almonds and then the pearl sugar.
Bake at 375 for 15 minutes, then 7 minutes at 350, then cover with foil and bake an additional 7-10 minutes. The loaf should be golden brown.
Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.
