Colomba Pasquale recipe
The Italian dessert symbol of Easter and of peace. The ancient tradition dated back to the Middle Age makes of Colomba a loved dessert both for young and old, even out of Italy.
Prep Time2 hours hrs
Cook Time45 minutes mins
Total Time2 hours hrs 50 minutes mins
Course: Desserts, Easter Recipes, Seasonal Recipes, Spring Recipes
Cuisine: Italian recipes
Servings: 10 people
Author: Edoardo Pucciarelli
Colomba Pasquale Ingredients
- 3,5 cup Manitoba flour
- 1/2 cup Warm water
- 2 big eggs
- 2 oz milk
- 5 oz butter room temperature
- 3 oz candied orange or citron
- ¾ oz brewer’s yeast fresh
- 5 oz white caster sugar
- 1 pinch sea salt
Aroma Ingredients
- 2 spoon Marsala wine
- 1 lemon zest
- 1 orange zest
- 1 vanilla bean with seeds
Icing Ingredients
- 1¼ oz egg whites
- 3 oz white caster sugar
- ¾ oz almond not peeled
- 1 spoon Amaretto liquor (optional)
- Sugar grains
- Entire almonds to decorate
Third knead
Place the risen dough in a mixing bowl. Add 2 oz. sugar and 5 oz. flour. Turn on the mixer and string the dough together with the dough hook. Knead for 3 min. Then gradually add 2 oz of soft cubed butter. Knead the dough on the dough hook and knead until the dough is elastic. Place in a bowl, cover with a tea towel and let rise until doubled in volume for at least 1 hour / 1 1/2 hours.
Fourth knead
Once risen, place the dough in the bowl of the mixer along with 9 oz of Manitoba flour and the remaining sugar (4 oz). Start the mixer and let the dough to absorb the powders in the mixture. Then add one at a time, the shelled whole eggs. Wait for the first to be absorbed by the dough before adding the second. Meanwhile, in a bowl prepare the flavoring by mixing the sweet wine, lemon, and orange zest, along with the seeds of a vanilla pod.
Preparation
Now add the remaining butter (4 oz at room temperature) chopped a little at a time. Finally, add the salt and spices. Knead for 10 minutes until the dough strings the hook and looks soft and elastic. Then place in a bowl, cover, and let rise for 1 hour until doubled.
Turn the risen dough out onto a work surface and roll it out with your hands. Spread the candied fruit over the dough and start working vigorously to distribute the candies throughout the dough. Form into a ball, place in a bowl, and let rise covered for at least 1 hour until doubled.
Place the risen dough on a work surface and cut it in half. Cut one of the halves in half again and create 3 sausages: a larger one (the body of the Easter Dove) and 2 smaller ones (the wings).
Place the 3 parts in a 2.2-lb. Colomba mold. Cover and let the Colomba rise until there is 0 25⁄32 in the dough to reach the edge of the mold.
Prepare the icing
In a mixer, blend the sugar with the almonds until a fine powder is obtained. Whip the egg whites and slowly add the resulting powder. Whip the mixture with a whisk for 5 minutes. Finally, add the Amaretto liqueur and mix.
Preheat the oven to 180°C in static mode. Once the dough has risen, spread the surface of the Colomba with the egg white frosting base. Decorate with almonds and granulated sugar.
Baking
Bake in a hot oven and, during the first 20 minutes of baking, every 5 minutes, open the oven door for a few seconds to let steam escape. Then, continue baking for another 20 minutes by lowering the temperature to 160°C.