For those of you already familiar with our favorite Italian Easter Colomba recipe, you'll notice that this version is a little more fantastical. This sweet slow-risen yeasted dough gets filled with homemade candied apricots and strawberries, Belgian white chocolate chips, and a few nonpareil candy sprinkles. I opted to top this year's Colomba with a slightly pink glaze made from Spanish Marcona almonds, egg whites, sugar, and natural food coloring. Then decorated it with Sicilian pistachios, chocolate candy pheasant eggs, raw blanched almonds, Italian sugar logs (granela), and freeze-dried pistachios sprinkles.
This sweet Italian bread is a bit challenging to make with its slow rise times and extra special dough maintenance, but it's worth the extra time and effort.
If you've never made Italian Colomba before, I don't recommend trying this recipe first. Instead, head over and use this one so you first have a better idea of what a traditional Colomba is all about.
I've included very detailed step-by-step and color-coded instructions (as well as photos of each of the different steps) to help make this sweet artisanal Easter bread easier to replicate at home. For this year's Colomba I've used a stand mixer which was much easier than doing everything by hand last year, but you have to ensure you don't over-mix the dough or allow it to become too warm during the process. So, if you're up for a somewhat challenging weekend project, this is a great recipe to try out.
What's an Italian Easter Colomba or Colomba Pasquale?
Colomba is a sweet egg-rich Italian yeast bread with a long fermentation time that's baked in a paper mold (like panettone) in the shape of a dove to represent Easter. The taste is hard to describe but it's somewhat like a cross between an even fluffier sweet Challah and cake (and this is even a really inadequate description). It's totally delicious. Artisanal Colomba is made with a natural mother starter versus commercial yeast which makes it a very easy bread to digest and allows the dough to withstand longer rising times. It relies on the highest quality natural ingredients for its flavor (without the use of preservatives or additives). And its slow fermentation and rising time help develop one of the most beautiful weblike dough structures I've ever seen (check out the below photos).
In Italy, this "dove" bread is only produced and sold in the period leading up to and through the Easter holiday. You won't find a Colomba in August. Which makes it special. It's by far one of the best-tasting dessert bread I've ever eaten (truly). You never find a traditional Italian Colombe that looks like the one in this post because true Colomba artisans don't need to do anything more than what they've always done. It's that delicious. After making my own copycat of Olivieri's Apricot and Salted Caramel Colomba last year, I decided to make a more childlike whimsical Colomba that would remind me of the Easter baskets of my youth.
(Below) Last Year's Apricot Easter Colomba
Research & Development -- Understanding Artisanal Italian Colomba
Last year, I created a recipe based on a lot of research. I was aided in the recipe development because I had the Colomba from Olivieri that I could smell, touch, and taste. This helped me to hone in on good texture and getting the flavor just right. As with anything that's completely new and foreign, I had several missteps and mistakes along I made. I learned a lot (and I'm still learning because Colomba making is a true art). To help you avoid my same mistakes, I'd suggest checking out my first Colomba post over here so you can see everything that went wrong and why. Here are a few departures from the professional Italian (artisanal) Colomba you'll find in your local pasticceria.
- I use active dry yeast instead of a natural mother dough starter. I have excellent results using active dry yeast, but if you want to develop a mother starter for your Colomba, do it.
- I substituted the diastatic malt powder in this Colomba recipe with the same amount of honey (1:1). I wanted to see how the dough would differ from my Apricot Colomba last year (in which I used the malt powder). Diastatic malt powder is used to help feed the yeast during the slow fermentation time, and is responsible for helping the Colomba rise and reach a beautifully domed top. I wanted to experiment with using honey because I know there are some of you who don't have access to diastatic malt powder (and even if you do, you may not want to buy it just for this recipe). The conclusion is that although honey works fine in this recipe, I prefer to use the diastatic malt powder because it really does help give the Colomba extra lift.
- I used half "pasta gialla" eggs (eggs with deep rich orange egg yolks used for making egg pasta) and half regular egg for this Colomba. You'll notice that this dough is much lighter and less intensely yellow compared to our Colomba from last year (in which I only used "pasta gialla" eggs). If you don't have access to farm-raised natural eggs with deep yellow to orange egg yolks, you can add a small amount of turmeric to give the dough a more yellow appearance if you want, but it's not necessary.
Candying Apricots and Strawberries From Scratch (below)
The Different Stages of Colomba Dough When Using a Stand Mixer (below)
This Italian Easter Colomba Recipe Makes Enough to Share
You can cut this recipe in half (especially if it's your first time making Colomba). But if you go ahead and make the recipe as is, you'll just need to order the paper Colomba molds and decide which sizes you'll want to bake up. You can choose to make one of the following combinations of Easter Colomba outlined below. It's possible that you'll have around 375g dough in 300g mold if you choose to make the mini Colomba, but it all works out just fine.
- Two 750g (or size C3 paper Colomba molds)
- One 750g (27 ounces) Colomba + two 300g mold (10.5 ounces) baby Colombas (FYI, the 300g mold Colombas are much easier to handle, so If you go with the standard size (750g), have a helper in the kitchen and be sure to reinforce it with double metal skewers before inverting it to cool).
- Four 300g (10.5 ounces) baby Colomba
HOW TO MAKE COLOMBA PASQUALE (SWEET ITALIAN EASTER DOVE BREAD) Step-By-Step Instructions and Photos
It's important to show step-by-step photos of how to make Easter Colomba because it helps simplify each stage in the process. Hopefully having this as a resource will help alleviate questions about how or what something should look (or feel like) at any given point in the process. Good luck making your own Easter bread to share with your family and friends and if you don't have a stand mixer, skip over here to get those directions and step-by-step photos.
Developing Colomba di Pasqua dough from start to finish using an electric mixer
STEP 1: making the biga starter
STEP 2: first kneading
STEP 3: second kneading
STEP 4: make the candied apricots + strawberries while the (above dough) is rising
STEP 4: third kneading for final dough
STEP 5: making the nut glaze
STEP 6: glazing, decorating, baking + cooling the Colomba
Optional Toppings to Customize Your Homemade Easter Colomba (below)
Optional Add-ins to Customize Your Homemade Easter Colomba
Colomba and Panettone both contain dried fruits or zest of citrus fruits, nuts, and even chocolate sometimes. Original classic versions usually include candied citrus pieces known as "candita" (or candied citron) which I'm not too crazy about in large amounts unless it's made the old-fashioned artisanal way which tastes amazing. The addition of dried fruits helps to keep this bread moist and impart flavor. This year, I added homemade candied apricots and strawberries, white chocolate chips, blood orange sugar, and nonpareils. You can get creative with your Colomba fillings by using any of these add-ins or make up your own.
- candied citron (lemon, lime, or orange)
- ½ cup milk or dark chocolate chips
- dried cherries, blueberries, apples, mangoes
- raisins
- pears
- cinnamon
Colomba Pasquale (Italian Easter Colomba) tips + tricks +FAQ's
- What is Colomba Pasquale or Colomba di Pasqua? Colomba is a rich, sweet, light, and fluffy bread that's topped with a mixture of nuts, sugar, and egg white and baked. It's an "Easter Dove" and is enjoyed throughout Italy at Easter. According to this article, it originated in Milan and may date back to the 6th century. It's likely that it was most like dreamed up by a clever pastry chef in more recent history to sell more bread dough leftover from making the Christmas Panettone season just prior to Easter. Its most traditional flavor is candied orange zest but can be filled with candied citrus or other modern fillings. It's hung upside down just after baking to ensure that the domed top stays high and the crumb stays light and airy.
- Can you make Colomba at home? Yes, you can make Colomba at home, although traditionally everyone buys it each year from their favorite pasticceria (pastry shop).
- Can you make Colomba Bread or Colomba Pasquale without a stand mixer? Yes, you can, but it's a lot of work because it's a very sticky dough, but the results are worth it. Although, it's definitely easier to make in a stand mixer and this is what I suggest.
- Is Colomba the same thing as Panettone? Colomba and Panettone are almost identical, but traditionally the Colomba had only orange zest or candied orange peel in it, whereas Panettone had dried fruits, or nuts and citrus.
- Where does Colomba come from or originate from? Colomba comes from Italy where it was developed to be served for the Easter celebration. Bakers most likely needed a way to use up ingredients leftover from making the traditional Christmas Panettone and since the bread is so delicious, the Easter Dove shape was born and it became tradition.
- How do I serve Colomba? Italians enjoy eating Colomba with coffee in the morning, with a side of fresh fruit or whipped cream for dessert or an afternoon snack. But it's just as enjoyable eaten by itself. The best Italian pastry shops recommend slicing the Colomba and heating it ever so slightly in the oven at a low temperature in order to release the natural fragrance and flavors of the ingredients in the bread.
Let's get started!
Print📖 Recipe
Strawberry & Apricot White Chocolate Italian Easter Colomba
- Total Time: 25 hours 45 minutes
- Yield: Two 750g Colombas or various smaller Colomba 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This sweet Italian Easter bread is delicious. If you can't find an artisanal version where you live, you can make your own using this recipe. You'll need to plan ahead when you have a little extra time because this recipe takes place over two days. I have color-coded both the ingredients and corresponding instructions so they can easily be followed and give you the best chance for success. For even more helpful tips, be sure to check out our Colomba post from last year dedicated to troubleshooting tips and techniques and "what I'd do differently next time" which outlines all of my mistakes so you can avoid them. Although this is a somewhat challenging bread to make, it's worth it.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon cool water (50g)
- ¼ teaspoon honey (or cane sugar) (2g)
- 1 ½ teaspoons instant yeast (6g)
- 7 tablespoons bread flour (farina Manitoba type O) (75g)
- ⅔ cup bread flour (farina Manitoba type O) (96g)
- 4 large egg yolks, room temperature (buy eggs with the deepest orange yolks you can find)
- 3 tablespoons cool water (45g)
- 2 teaspoons cane sugar (9g)
- 6 tablespoons butter, unsalted at room temperature (85g)
- 5 tablespoons cane sugar (75g)
- 2 large egg yolks, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons warm milk (30g)
- 1 tablespoon Acacia honey (or other quality honey) (19g)
- 2 ¼ cups bread flour (325g)
- 1 ½ teaspoons instant yeast (6g)
- 2 cups bread flour (farina Manitoba type O) (260g)
- 1 tablespoon low-fat milk powder (9g)
- ¾ tablespoon honey (16g) (or substitute ¾ tablespoon diastatic malt powder(5g)
- 1 cup butter, cubed into small pieces, room temperature) (226g)
- 6 tablespoons cane sugar (75g)
- 5 large egg yolks, room temperature
- ½ cup cool water (100g)
- 3 tablespoons warm milk (35g)
- 3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (13g)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla bean powder (or one Tahitian vanilla bean split and seeded) (4g)
- 2 teaspoons homemade Tarocco orange sugar (or 2 teaspoons regular sugar + ¼ teaspoon orange zest) (8g)
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, or other salt (*do not use iodized table salt) (7g)
- 2 tablespoons nonpareils (optional) (20g)
- ½ cup Belgian white chocolate chips (85g)
- 8.5 ounces dried apricots (free of preservatives if possible) (242g)
- ¼ cup sugar (55g)
- 3 ounces water (85g)
- 5 ounces fresh strawberries (150g)
- 4 tablespoons sugar (45g)
- 1 large Silpat or non-stick baking mat (*see recipe notes if you don't own a Silpat)
- 2 (750g size C3) paper dove-shaped Colomba molds (or one 750g mold + two 300g molds) (or substitute paper molds with 2 buttered and floured nine-inch-diameter springform pans)
- 4 large egg whites
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch (16g)
- 1 cup cane sugar (200g)
- 1 ½ cups (7 ounces) Marcona almonds (or raw blanched almonds skins removed) (200g)
- ¼ cup (1 ounce) ounce raw pistachios (30g)
- pinch of salt
- a handful of raw blanched whole almonds (for decorating the tops of each Colomba)
- a handful of "granella di zucchero" (Italian granular sugar "logs"), or raw turbinado sugar
- a handful of raw chopped (unsalted) pistachios (optional)
- a handful of chocolate Easter eggs, some whole and some chopped (optional)
- a handful of pink white chocolate chips (optional)
- 12" to 14" long metal skewers (for piercing the Colomba to hang upside down to cool)
Get Recipe Ingredients
Instructions
STEP 1: (Day 1) Making the biga starter [MIX & REST 45]
- Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, stir to combine, and shape into a ball (the dough will be very firm). Stir in yeast. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let the starter rise for about 45 minutes, or until it puffs up. Initially, the biga starter will be very firm but will soften and become lighter and almost spongy after the designated rising time. *if using active dry yeast instead of instant yeast, add the yeast to the water with the honey, stir to dissolve, and let stand about 10 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, mix in flour and proceed with Step 2.
STEP 2: (Day 1) The first kneading [MIX & REST 1 HOUR]
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add all Step 2-ingredients and the risen biga starter. Mix on medium speed for about scraping down the sides of the bowl with a dough scraper if needed. knead it for about 5 to 8 minutes. The dough will become shiny and stringy. Cover the bowl with plastic and let rise at room temperature until puffy and bubbly on top, or about 1 hour. The dough will look thicker, a little shiny, and slightly puffed and when you press a finger lightly on top, it will leave a slight indention. At this point, you'll know it's ready for Step 3.
STEP 3: (Day 1) The second kneading [MIX & REST 3.5 HOURS]
- In a medium bowl, using a whisk mix together the first 5 ingredients listed in Step 3 until smooth and then add it to the risen dough. Add the flour and mix on medium-low speed until well blended. Continue kneading the dough until fairly smooth, or about 5 to 8 minutes. Scrape the dough out onto a nonstick baking mat and shape it into a ball. Cover the bowl with plastic and let rise at room temperature until lighter in texture, slightly puffed, and less glossy (about 3 ½ hours). The dough will have doubled in size.
STEP 4: (Day 1) The third kneading for final dough + candying the apricots [MIX & REST OVERNIGHT FOR 8-12 HOURS]
- To make the candied apricots, place all ingredients into a pot, bring the mixture to a boil, and reduce to a simmer. Cook the apricots for about 15 to 20 minutes (stirring frequently to prevent scorching) until the liquid has evaporated and the apricots are plump and sticky. Remove from heat, allow to cool to room temperature while you finsh the dough. *You may make the apricots the day before you bake the Colomba and refrigerate overnight.
- To make the candied strawberries, place all ingredients into a pot, bring the mixture to a boil, and reduce to a simmer. Cook the strawberries for about 15 minutes (stirring frequently to prevent scorching) until the liquid has evaporated and the strawberries are plump and sticky. Remove from heat, allow to cool to room temperature while you finsh the dough. *You may make the strawberries the day before you bake the Colomba and refrigerate overnight.
- When the dough has properly risen you'll be able to press two fingers lightly into the top and the indention will remain. Set aside while you prepare the remaining ingredients for the final dough.
- Measure flour, yeast, milk powder, and Tarocco orange sugar into a bowl and combine with a whisk to incorporate the ingredients. Add honey (or diastatic malt powder if using) and set aside.
- Add about ⅓ of this flour mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer and add water, 2 egg yolks, and half of the butter and vanilla bean powder, and mix on medium-low speed until the mixture is smooth (about 3 minutes).
- Add remaining 3 egg yolks, milk, vanilla extract, and salt, and continue mixing on medium-low speed until the mixture is smooth and lighter in color.
- Add the sugar and beat until incorporated or about 30 seconds more.
- Place the risen dough directly into this mixture and blend until the mixtures become one cohesive mass (about 3 minutes). Add in the remaining flour and butter and knead using the dough hook for about 10 to 12 minutes, or until the dough is soft and supple.
- Once the dough is kneaded, add the white chocolate chips, nonpareils (if using), candied apricots, and strawberries, and fold the dough over onto itself to encapsulate the ingredients. Mix them in while squeezing the dough with your hands until well incorporated. Form the dough into a round diss and place it into a very large buttered container (with at least 4-quart to 6qt capacity). Cover with plastic. Let dough rise at room temperature until doubled and it's soft and supple for 8 to 12 hours.
STEP 5: (Day 2) portioning + adding the dough to the paper molds + last rise [REST: 3 to 3.5 HOURS]
- Gently pour the dough out onto a Silpat or other nonstick baking mat. Divide dough into the amount needed for the Colomba molds you've chosen. Gently shape the dough in each mold to somewhat fit the shape of the "dove". Cover each mold with buttered plastic wrap and allow it to rise at room temperature for 3 to 3 ½ hours, or until it reaches just below the top of the paper mold.
STEP 6: (Day 2) Glazing, decorating, baking + cooling the Colomba
- While the Colombas are rising, position the rack in the bottom third of the oven and preheat to 375°F/190°C.
- Finely grind sugar and nuts in the processor. Add the cornstarch and a pinch of salt and pulse a few times until well incorporated.
- Add the egg whites and blend for about 15 to 20 seconds until the mixture is thick but runny. If using natural food coloring, add the desired amount and stir to blend well.
- Peel the plastic off of the risen doughs and evenly distribute the nut glaze over top of each using a large spoon. Decorate the tops with whole almonds, sugar logs, pistachios, and chocolate pheasant eggs.
- Place the Colomba onto a baking sheet and Bake until golden brown on top and a cake tester or slender wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, or about 45 minutes. Insert 2 to 4 skewers per Colomba into and through the bottom of each so that the Colomba can be turned upside down and suspended from 2 poles to completely cool. Allow Colombas to cool completely. These can be baked ahead and wrapped individually in plastic wrap and placed into a large freezer bag and left at room temperature for up to 2 days or freeze individual slices wrapped in plastic wrap and placed in freezer bags until needed. Enjoy with your favorite tea, coffee, or glass of prosecco.
Notes
- Buy eggs with the deepest orange or yellow-colored yolks if you can find them. This is what gives traditional Colomba its naturally intensely yellow dough. If you can't find these types of eggs, you may add a little turmeric to the dough to help create a more natural yellow dough. Just be sure not to add so much that it affects the flavor of the bread.
- The amount of sugar you add can be adjusted according to your taste. I originally used 6 tablespoons (75g) of sugar, but it wasn't as sweet as Olivieri's and next time I'll add at least 2 more tablespoons of sugar. But honestly, it's perfectly sweet using only 6 tablespoons.
- How to store Colomba. These can be baked ahead and wrapped individually in plastic wrap or beeswax paper and placed into a large freezer bag and left at room temperature for up to 2 days or freeze individual slices wrapped in plastic wrap and placed in freezer bags until needed.
- Find all of the rest of the tips (plus what I'll do differently next time) in the main post. There are a lot of helpful tips to help you avoid some of my mistakes and missteps that are very useful if this is the first time you're making a Colomba.
- If you don't own a non-stick baking mat or dough mat, you may instead add ½ cup flour on a large surface area to keep the dough from sticking when you shape the "doves".)
Baking Times
- Bake smaller and medium-sized Colombas at 375/190 for about 45 minutes and cover the tops midway through if the chocolate seems to be browning too quickly. Bake until golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean.
- Bake the larger Colomba for 45 minutes at 375°F/190°C for 45 min, and cover with foil at just about 15 minutes into baking. After 45 minutes of baking time, reduce the temperature to 350F°/185°C and continued baking for 20 more minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean.
*This dough yields a total weight of almost 5 pounds or 2225g (or 2kg 225g). Below you'll see the amount of dough that I placed into each of the molds if you need it for reference. I should have skipped making the small panettone and Colomba and divided this dough evenly between the 2 Large Panettone. Anyway, trial and error and now you're a little more informed to make a better decision.
- Large Colomba (842g)
- 2 Large Panettone (round mold) (511g) and (600g)
- 1 Small Colombas: 103g
- 2 Small Panettone: 102g and 68g
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Rest Time: 24 hours
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Breads
- Method: Oven Bake
- Cuisine: Italian
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