Colomba
Cake,
or Colomba di Pasqua, is a traditional cake made it Italy for Easter. It is shaped like a dove.
Wishing you peace this Easter with this traditional
recipe from King Arthur Flour:
Ingredients
Biga (overnight starter)- 1 cup (120g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- 1/2 cup (113g) cool water
- 1/8 teaspoon instant yeast
- 2 1/4 cups (269g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon SAF Gold instant yeast, or instant yeast
- 1/3 cup (67g) granulated sugar
- 4 tablespoons (57g) butter, at room temperature
- 2 large eggs + 1 large egg yolk, white reserved for topping; room temperature preferred
- 1/8 teaspoon Fiori di Sicilia or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract + 1/8 teaspoon Orange Citrus Oil
- Grated peel of 1 large orange
- 1 cup (170g) dried fruit, of your choice, chopped if large
- 1 large egg white, reserved from dough
- 3 tablespoons almond flour or 3 tablespoons blanched almonds, finely ground
- 2 tablespoons (25g) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons (14g) sliced almonds
- 5 to 6 teaspoons (28g) coarse white sugar or pearl sugar
Instructions
1.
The
night before you want to make the bread, mix together the biga (overnight
starter) ingredients. Cover the bowl, and leave it at room temperature for up
to 15 hours or so.
2.
Next
day, combine the bubbly starter with all of the remaining dough ingredients
except the grated orange rind and the fruit. Mix to combine. Switch to the
dough hook, and knead for about 12 minutes at medium speed, stopping the mixer
every 3 minutes to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl. By the end of the
kneading time, the dough should have become elastic and satiny. It should be
starting to leave the bottom and sides of the bowl, though it won't form a
smooth ball.
3.
Knead
in the grated orange rind and dried fruit.
4.
Cover
the bowl, and let the dough rise for 2 hours (3 hours if you're not using SAF
Gold yeast). It should have become quite puffy.
5. Divide the dough in two pieces, with one slightly larger than the other.
Shape one into a 10" log, with one tapered end; and the other into a
7" log.
6. Place the longest log lengthwise on a lightly greased or parchment-lined
baking sheet; use the edge of your hand to form a crease in the center. Lay the
shorter log crosswise across it, right at the crease. Shape the shorter log
into "wings" by pulling it into a crescent shape. (We know, this
doesn't really look too awfully much like a dove; think of it as a symbolic
representation!)
7. Cover the shaped loaf with a cover or lightly greased plastic wrap, and
set it aside to rise until it's puffy; this will take about 1 to 2 hours,
depending on what type of yeast you've used. Towards the end of the rising
time, preheat the oven to 375°F.
8. Make the topping by mixing the egg white, ground almonds, and sugar.
Gently paint this glaze all over the loaf; be generous. Sprinkle with the
sliced almonds, then the pearl or coarse sugar.
9. Bake the loaf for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven heat to 350°F and
bake for an additional 20 minutes, tenting it for the final 10 minutes of baking.
The finished loaf will be golden brown, and an instant-read thermometer
inserted into the center will register 190°F.
10. Remove the bread from the oven, and carefully slide it onto a rack to
cool.
11. Serve in thin slices. Some enjoy fresh Colomba with a glass of wine;
some prefer it toasted, then drizzled with heavy cream or honey, and served
with coffee. It's delicious just plain, too; serve it Easter morning, or later
in the day, as a sweet accompaniment to the Easter ham.
12. Yield: 1 large loaf.
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