Colomba di Pasqua - Dessert
Preparation Type:
Dessert
Effort:
Medium
Preparation Time:
Medium
Description:
Colomba di Pasqua is a traditional Italian bread for Easter. Colomba in Italian means “dove” so the bread has a dove form. This soft colomba is rich with butter, eggs, raisins, almond icing and a little bit of orange peel is perfect for finishing Easter lunch.
Main ingredients:
Ingredients for a 1 kg form:
• 500g flour
• 25g yeast
• 170g sugar
• 1 pinch of salt
• 100 ml lukewarm water
• 200g soft butter
• 5 egg yolks
• 30 ml milk
• 1 spoonful of vanilla aroma
• 1 grated lemon peel
• 1 grated orange peel (Please ensure that the oranges come from a reliable source. If in doubt, use orange aroma)
Ingredients for the glaze:
• 2 egg whites
• 50g sugar
• 50g coarse granulated sugar
• 70g peeled almonds
Preparation:
Preparation poolish:
Crumble the yeast into a bowl and stir well with 100 ml of lukewarm water. Add 150 g of flour and work into a smooth dough, then cut a cross into it. Fill a bowl with lukewarm water, place the dough into the bowl, cover and rest for 30 minutes, until it has doubled in volume.
Preparation base dough:
Work the remaining flour (350 g), milk (approx. 30 ml), sugar, egg yolk, 100 g butter, 1 pinch of salt, vanilla aroma, orange and lemon peel into a dough. Take the poolish out of the water, press it out slightly and combine with the base dough into a smooth dough. Allow the dough to rise in the switched off oven for 1 hour. Remove the dough from the oven and work in 50 g of butter. Then return to the oven and allow to rise for 4 hours, until it has doubled in volume. Then add the remaining 50 g of butter and work in well. Place the dough into the greased form and allow to rise for another 2 - 3 hours in the switched off oven, until it has reached the edge of the form.Remove the dough from the oven and pre-heat to 190°.
Mix the egg white with the sugar and coat the dough with it. Then sprinkle with the coarse granulated sugar and almonds.
Place the Colomba into the oven and bake at 190° for 10 minutes and then another 30 minutes at 180°.
Allow to cool and enjoy your freshly baked Colomba.
