Colomba or Easter Dove. Easter dessert

How to make a colomba or Easter Dove .

This sweet recipe is a typical Italian Easter bread that is very reminiscent of Christmas time panettone .

They say that the origin of this sweet is located in the 30s by Dino Villani, advertising director of the company that produces panettone Motta, to take advantage of the same machinery and raw material, but destined for Easter. Rivaling in many areas of Italy with the Neapolitan Pastiera at Easter.

The original dough is made with flour, butter, egg, sugar and candied orange zest, glazed with almond before baking.

However, variants can be found in which fruits are added to the dough (we have enriched it with raisins) or other elements are used for the icing, such as sugar and other forms of almond or both.

With the indicated amount of ingredients we obtain about 900 grams of dough that we can bake in three molds with a capacity of 300 grams each.

These molds are not essential, although they help make the presentation more attractive.

If you do not have them, you can form the cabbages directly on a baking sheet covered in sulfurized paper. Don’t let this detail stop you, because it’s worth doing. They are yummy.

Preparation of the preferment for the Easter Colomba

1. We start with the preferment. To do this, in a deep container we put the strength flour , make a hole in the center and add the milk (which must be at room temperature) and the fresh crumbled yeast.
2. We remove with a wooden spoon until all the ingredients are well integrated, cover with a clean cloth and let stand until it has risen and is bubbly.

Preparation of the dough for the Easter Colomba

1. We add the rest of the flour of force, the sugar, the essence of vanilla, the zest of orange and the eggs. We remove with our hands until integrating before moving to a clean work surface sprinkled with flour where we knead for 5 to 6 minutes.
2. Next we add the butter, little by little, and we continue kneading until we obtain a fine and elastic dough.
3. We can also use a food processor and get rid of manual labor. In fact for this dough it is a great help because it is sticky and requires a long kneading time (between 10 and 12 minutes) until we get the proper texture.
4. Grease a bowl, put the dough in it, cover with a clean cloth and leave to ferment until it doubles in volume.
5. Once fermented, we sprinkle a countertop with flour and pass the dough. We crush it to degas while making a rectangle.
6. We spread the raisins or sultanas on the surface, cut in half and place one half on top of the other. Cut again in half and place one part on top of the other.
7. We will have four layers. We knead until amalgamated, no more.

Forming and baking the Colomba or Easter Dove

1. We divide the dough into three portions of about 300 grams each. We cut each portion into two pieces (one slightly larger than the other) and stretch them into a cylinder. One of them of the same length as the mold and the other a little longer.
2. The longest cylinder corresponds to the wings and is the first to be placed in the mold, as seen in the photo, curved on itself. On this we place the shortest cylinder, the body.
3. We proceed in the same way with the other two portions of dough. We cover the molds with a clean cloth and leave to ferment until the dough appears above the mold.
4. We prepare the glaze by mixing the sugar with the egg white and the refined corn flour. Brush with it our pigeons or Easter doves, gently so as not to deform the masses. We cover with rolled almonds, pearl sugar or whatever we have chosen.
5. We introduce the cabbages in the oven, pre-heated to 200ºC with heat up and down, and cook for 20-25 minutes. Cover with aluminum foil in case of excess browning.
6. Let cool on a wire rack before cutting. We serve generously, perfect to accompany with a shot of liquor.

Follow the step by step that you will find in the album of this recipe for Colomba or Easter Dove , it will come out the first time.

Tips for a yummy Colomba or Easter Dove

• A dessert that rivals in Italy the classic panettone , the famous  tiramisu   and the cantucci , the traditional Carnival sweets such as  Chiacchiere , the fritter fritters or the traditional castagnole .
• This type of bun or sweet bread freezes very well, wrapped individually in plastic wrap.
• It is good to have it in the freezer for a moment of sweet whim or to get us out of a hurry when a visit comes and we do not have time to prepare anything. Therefore, although it may sound like a lot, it is advisable to do it all. Then we will thank you.
• As we always mention when it comes to sourdoughs, the times indicated are approximate. Fermentation depends on the ambient temperature. The higher the temperature, the faster the fermentation. The lower the temperature, the less quickly.
• The ideal fermentation temperature is around 25º C. If we have an oven that allows us to heat it to this low temperature, we can use it for this purpose. We just have to put the dough in it and let the chemistry do the rest.
• The temperature of the oven is high, so watch out for time. It is best to be aware so that the surface does not burn and spoil our Colomba or Easter Dove.