Italian Easter Sweet Bread – Colomba Pasquale
Easter Dove – Traditional Sweet Italian Bread for Easter
The Italian Easter Sweet Bread (Colomba Pasquale) unlike the Panettone and Pandoro which are baked for Christmas, contains only candied orange pieces. The method to make the Italian Easter Sweet Bread at home involves many steps and hours for the many dough risings. This method produces a delicious, rich, buttery sweet bread.
Due to tight Easter baking schedules, the following Italian Easter Bread recipe was adapted from a family home-made recipe using the bread maker for kneading and the first rising. This bread maker version of the recipe also produces a wonderful sweet bread and has won the nod of approval from many family members.
Italian Easter Sweet Bread - Colomba Pasquale Recipe
Preparation time from start to finish is approximately 5 hours.
Servings: 1 large or 2 small loaves
Equipment:
- Bread maker
- 2 8-inch spring form pans or 1 large paper baking Dove mold
Sweet Dough
Ingredients:
- ½ cup milk, warmed to 80-90 F
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 8 tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 ½ cups unbleached all purpose flour
- 2 ½ tsp active dry or bread machine yeast
Add-ins:
- orange zest of one large orange
- lemon zest of one large lemon or candied orange peel
Optional add-ins:
- ½ cup sliced almonds
How to make the Sweet Dough in the Bread Maker:
Place the ingredients in the exact order as listed below or as per the instructions of the bread maker used to make this recipe.
- Add milk, eggs, unsalted butter, granulated sugar, salt, vanilla, flour and yeast in the bread pan fitted with the kneading paddle.
- Place the bread pan in the bread maker and select the 'Dough' option.
- Press Start to mix, knead and rise.
- When the cycle is completed, (completion time may vary with different bread makers) leave the dough in the bread pan, turn off the machine and let rise another hour.
- Remove dough and punch to deflate.
- Divide dough half if baking in the spring form pans.
- Grease pans or Colomba mold and place half the dough in each pan or place entire dough in the Colomba mold.
- Cover with greased plastic wrap and towel.
- Let rise in warm spot for another hour or until dough has reached the top of the pans/mold.
Almond Glaze
Ingredients:
- 2 egg whites
- ½ cup whole unblanched almonds
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 2 cups sliced almonds
- powdered sugar
How to Make the Almond Glaze:
- In bowl of food processor fitted with blade, add the 2 egg whites, 1/2 cup whole unblanched almonds, 3/4 cup sugar and 1 tsp almond extract.
- Pulse until all the ingredients are well blended.
- Brush mixture on the Italian Easter Sweet Bread loaves, sprinkle with the sliced almonds and sprinkle with icing sugar.
How to Bake the Italian Easter Sweet Bread (Colomba Pasquale):
- Place oven rack in the middle position of oven.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Place the Italian Easter Sweet Bread loaves or loaf on cookie sheet and place in oven.
- Bake for 30 minutes - 35 minutes. (baking time may vary according to different oven temperatures)
- Remove loaves from oven and let cool completely before slicing.
Serving Suggestions for the Italian Easter Sweet Bread:
The Italian Easter Sweet Bread is usually served plain with espresso. It also can be used layered in a trifle, toasted and spread with jam or to make French toast..
Easter Dessert Suggestions:
Sponge Cake with Pastry Cream and Berries
Italian Easter Sweet Bread
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