Colomba Pasquale

This is a little early, but Easter food requires some planning. Start this one early in the evening (start around 6pm - see below) a day ahead, or else at the crack of dawn.

Italy, and not least Milan, has many versions of sweet yeast-raised cakes associated with festivals. Best-known may be the Panettone associated with Christmas, but there are also Easter versions, famously the Colomba Pasquale (Easter Dove). The dough and method are similar but the Colomba has candied peel and no fruit, as well as the distinctive (if somewhat impressionistic!) dove shape.

This recipe is - believe it or not - simpler than some because we have used a two-stage method, with starter/sponge followed by the dough proper and two proofs. Some have a starter and then two dough stages. This draws from more than one recipe in Carol Field's The Italian Baker. Note that ingredients are given in the three stages: sponge, dough and shaping/topping. You'll need to read it all to be sure you have all you need.

Sponge
3 1/2 tsp dry yeast
1/4 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup warm water
2 egg yolks
2 cups plain/all-purpose flour¹
55g/2 oz butter/margarine, softened²

Dissolve yeast and sugar in water, stir in egg yolks and then flour, using a wooden spoon. Mix in butter, cover and allow to rise until tripled in size (2 hours).

Dough
Sponge (above)
1 tsp dry yeast
1 Tbp honey
3 Tbps lukewarm water
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 egg yolks
2 cups plain/all-purpose flour
110g/4 oz butter/margarine, softened
2 tsps vanilla extract
Zest of 1 large orange
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tsp salt

Dissolve yeast and honey in water, and stir in sugar and egg yolks. Add the sponge and stir to combine. Add flour gradually. Stir in butter, vanilla, zest and salt. Turn out onto a floured board and knead until smooth and elastic. A little more flour may be added it the dough is hard to handle but it should remain somewhat sticky. Place dough in a large, lightly oiled or buttered bowl, cover and allow to rise 2 hours or until doubled. This proof can be prolonged if your schedule demands it; if you start at night, leave it in the refrigerator at this stage overnight, and go to shaping and topping in the morning.

Shaping and Topping
1 cup candied citrus peel
4 Tbps almonds, plus additional whole or slivered almonds if desired
1 Tbp apricot kernels
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 egg white

Empty dough onto a floured surface and punch down. Divide in two, and pat each piece into a wide flat rectangle. Sprinkle candied peel across each, then roll into logs. Pat flat again, then roll into two logs once more, working in the opposite direction from your previous rolls; make one slightly longer and thinner than the other. On a greased baking sheet, place longer log lengthwise, and make a depression 2/3 along its length. Place shorter log across it, bending ends back slightly towards the "tail". Cover and allow to rise two hours.

Preheat oven to 200C/400F.

Grind almonds and apricot kernels in a food processor with the sugar. Remove to a bowl and add egg white to make a paste. Using a spatula, carefully spread this topping over the Colomba. If desired, whole or slivered almonds may then be dotted over the surface too.

Bake in the fairly hot oven for five-ten minutes, making sure cake does not burn. Reduce the heat to 180C/350F (less if fan-forced) and bake another 30 minutes.

Cool on a wire rack (some dust with powdered sugar at this point - we think the lily is sufficiently gilded ...)

¹ We have used a mixture of flours including kamut and (white) spelt flour for this with great success. Italian originals are not likely to use strong bread flour.
²With lactose intolerance in the house, we have used a dairy-free margarine with very acceptable results. So there.