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Colomba Pasquale (Easter Dove Bread)

he Colomba Pasquale is the national Easter bread of Italy. It comes from the region of Lombardy but now is made and sold throughout the country. This fragrant bread is similar to the panettone in its delicate sweet flavor and soft texture, but is studded with orange peels and covered with icing and almonds. It has a dove shape precisely because Colomba means dove in Italian, the sign of the beginning of spring as well as the symbol of the Holy Spirit in Catholicism.

The original recipe requires many fermentations and the use of “lievito naturale”, a kind of wild yeast trapped from the air that is kept for days, months or even years and is used as a leavening agent on breads. The best Colombas in Italy are produced with the “lievito naturale” of the family that have passed from generations to generations and is guarded as gold. However, for the delight of my family and students, this year I developed a recipe that is simpler than the original, but is great in flavor and doesn’t require lievito naturale. Traditionally, the dough is baked in a special paper mold that you can find at Sur La Table in Berkeley. You can also find the Colomba Pasquale in many Italian specialty stores (Market Hall, Draegers, Andronico’s and Whole Foods)

Recipe

Ingredients

Method

Biga
1 tbs	yeast
1 cup	water
	zest of 1 orange
½cup	flour
Dough
½ tbs	yeast
1 cup	milk
2 1/2 cups	flour
1tsp	salt
8oz	butter (softened)
3	egg yolks
1¼ cup	sugar
1/2 cup	candied orange peel
1 tsp	vanilla extract
2 tbs	orange zest
Topping
1	egg white
1/3 cup	almond flour (or finelly ground almonds)
¼ cup	granulated sugar
2 tbs	coarse sugar
2 tbs	sliced almonds

For the Biga: Dissolve yeast in warm water (110F) and let it rest for 5 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of sugar, the zest of an orange and ½ cup of the flour. Mix all the ingredients together and let it rest overnight (covered with plastic wrap) in the refrigerator for 24 hours.

For the dough: The next day, dissolve the other yeast in warm milk (110F) and let it rest for 5 minutes. Add the biga, the flour and knead the dough for 5 minutes. Add the rest of the sugar and eggs and continue kneading until the dough is soft and very elastic (15 minutes). Add the soften butter at room temperature (NOT MELTED) little by little while kneading. Add the chocolate and the salt and continue kneading until the dough is soft, shiny and elastic (10 - 15 minutes). Add the orange zest and candied peel and mix until combined. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in a warm spot (85°F is perfect) to let the dough rise for 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours. It should be doubled in size. Turn the dough out onto a lightly greased work surface and deflate it by punching it down. Divide the dough in half, and form one half into a log about 12 inches long. Form the other half into a slightly shorter and fatter log. Place the longest log lengthwise on a parchment-lined baking sheet or then lay the shorter log across it, forming a cross. Cover it with lightly greased plastic wrap, and let it rest until double in size; this will take at least another 3 hours. Just before the bread is ready to be baked, beat the egg white until it's foamy and whisk in the ground almonds and sugar. Spread this almond mixture on the risen bread. Be careful, as the dough is delicate and could deflate. Sprinkle wit coarse sugar and sliced almonds. Bake the bread in a preheated 350°F oven for 45 minutes, until lightly browned and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of a loaf reads 195°F. Remove the bread from the oven, and transfer it to a wire rack to cool.