Colomba. Italian traditional Easter bread

Colomba pasquale is the classic Italian Easter bread. It is fluffy, fragrant and in the shape of a dove. It takes a little time to prepare it, but it's worth it.
I often make several small cakes at once! As gift for my Easter guests.

Colomba with yeast dough - the recipe

Below you will find a recipe for Easter bread colomba with yeast dough or with dry yeast. If you prefer to bake with fresh yeast, simply multiply the amount of dry yeast by three. If you would like to try a colomba with sourdough, click here for the recipe.

The miracle of the Irish monk

A legend tells of the Irish travelling monk Columban, who arrived in Pavia in the year 612. Queen Theudelinde welcomed him and invited him to dinner. However, the monk found the food too rich and refused. This gesture deeply offended the queen. The monk immediately realised his mistake and said he would eat the meat after he had blessed it. When he did so, the food turned into bread in the shape of a dove. Deeply impressed, the queen gave the monk the area of Bobbio, where he founded the Abbey of San Colombano in 614.

📖 Recipe

Colomba Pasquale. Italian traditional Easter dove bread

Recipe with yeast dough. Fluffy and fragrant. It takes a little time to prepare it, but it's worth it.

[en]5 from 1 vote[/en][de]5 von 1 Bewertung[/de][it]5 da 1 voti[/it]

Prep Time 50 minutes mins

Cook Time 55 minutes mins

Resting time 15 hours hrs

Total Time 16 hours hrs 45 minutes mins

Course cake, Dessert, yeast dough

Cuisine Easter, Italian, vegetarian

Servings 21 slices

Calories 254.3 kcal

Equipment

• 1 Colomba paper baking tin for 1 kg of dough or 2 for 500 g of dough each
• 1 food processor I highly recommend this, as the dough needs to be kneaded often and for a long time.
• 1 (kitchen) thermometer (optional)

Ingredients

 

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Ingredients for 1 colomba with 1 kg or 2 colombe of 500 g each

Sugar icing

• 40 g almonds, ground
• 50 g sugar, icing
• 30 g corn flour
• 2 whites , of M eggs
• 1 pinch salt

flavouring mix

• 1 teaspoon honey, approx. 15 g
• 1 lemon zest
• 1 orange zest
• 2 vanilla pods, seeds
• 35 g butter, soft

Pre-dough

• 50 g wheat flour, type 550
• 15 g dry yeast
• 40 ml water
• 15 g sugar

1st dough

• Pre-dough
• 75 g wheat flour, type 550
• 35 ml water
• 25 g sugar
• 25 g butter, soft

2nd dough

• 1st dough
• 100 g wheat flour , type 550
• 40 ml water
• 40 g sugar
• 25 g butter, soft
• 1 egg yolk, of M eggs

3rd dough

• 170 g butter
• 60 g sugar, icing
• 2nd dough
• 200 g wheat flour , type 550
• 50 ml water
• flavouring mixture
• 40 g sugar
• 8 g salt
• 160 g candied fruit , and/or sultanas

Also

• 10 almonds, Whole
• 1 handful sugar

Instructions

 

Before you start:

• The dough must rise several times. The longest resting phase (approx. 6 hours) is directly before baking. That's why I often mix the dough for the last time late in the evening and leave it to rise slowly overnight in the fridge at a low temperature.
• The evening before baking, mix all the dry ingredients for the icing and stir well. Place all the ingredients for the flavouring mixture in a bowl and mix well. Cover and leave the icing and flavouring mixture to rest overnight in a cool place.

Pre-dough

• Place all the ingredients in a food processor and process to a smooth, homogeneous dough. Cover the dough and leave to rest for 30 minutes.

1st dough

• Place all the ingredients in a food processor and process into a smooth, homogeneous dough. Cover the dough with cling film and leave to rest for 30 minutes.

2nd dough

• Place all the ingredients in a food processor and knead until a smooth, elastic dough is formed. Cover the dough with cling film and leave to rest for 60-70 minutes or until doubled in volume.

3rd dough

• Mix the butter and icing sugar until creamy and set aside.
• Place dough 2 in the food processor and knead with the flour. As soon as the mixture is smooth, gradually add the sugar, salt and flavouring mixture; finally, work the water and half of the "sweet" butter into the dough. Knead the dough until it sticks to the dough hook; only now add the second half of the butter in small portions. As soon as the dough is shiny and elastic, add the candied fruit/raisins, turning only until they are evenly distributed in the dough. Place the finished dough in a large bowl, cover with cling film and leave to rest for about 30 minutes.
• After this time, place the dough on a work surface, divide into two equal parts and leave to rise at room temperature for about 10 minutes. Grease your hands with a little butter and roll the dough into a ball, pressing the underside of the dough well together. Cover the dough with clingfilm and leave to rise for 30 minutes. Repeat the process and leave the dough to rise for a further 30 minutes. Cut the dough in half (or in quarters for smaller colombe). Roll the halves like a baguette and place crosswise (body and wings of the dove) in a colomba baking tin. Leave to rise for a further 6 hours at room temperature.

Bake

• Preheat the oven to 160 °C top and bottom heat. Spread a thin layer of icing on the surface of the colomba. Sprinkle the icing with almonds and caster sugar. Bake at 180 °C for 50 minutes (for a 1000 g colomba) or 35 minutes (for the 500 g colombe). The core temperature should reach 92-94 °C, check with a thermometer if necessary. The pastry is then nicely done.
• Remove the colomba from the oven and turn upside down. Prick the base twice immediately with a knitting needle or wooden skewer. Leave to cool like this.

Notes

Variation with chocolate: replace the fruit with chocolate chips.

Nutrition

Calories: 254.3 kcalCarbohydrates: 33.8 gProtein: 4.1 gFat: 12 gSaturated Fat: 6.5 gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1 gMonounsaturated Fat: 3.5 gTrans Fat: 0.4 gCholesterol: 35.4 mgSodium: 238.9 mgPotassium: 88.3 mgFiber: 1.9 gSugar: 15.1 gVitamin A: 324.2 IUVitamin C: 1.3 mgCalcium: 28.6 mgIron: 1.3 mg

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Buon appetito!