Nothing says spring like this Easter dove-shaped bread
Whatever your spring food traditions, you likely have a family favorite dish that is the star of your dinner table. Or maybe you have memories of a treat you enjoyed as a child, but the recipe has been lost to time. If you grew up in an Italian-American household, you can probably identify your Nonna's traditional Easter bread by smell alone. But have you ever made it?
This Colomba di Pasqua recipe from The Culinary Institute of America is the opportunity to reclaim a memory or start a new one of your own. Colomba di Pasqua is a traditional Italian Easter bread that might remind you of panettone, stollen, or other rich, fruit-filled breads from around the world. Paired with a cup of coffee or tea, this bread is the perfect breakfast, midafternoon treat, dessert, or midnight snack. What we're saying is, you'll have to pace yourself.
Each loaf is specially shaped to look like the iconic Easter dove. Though it can be baked in more common baking pans, it is traditionally prepared in a special Colomba di Pasqua mold. Good news, though: this mold will not be one more thing to clutter your kitchen cabinets because the bread is typically made using disposable (but still sturdy) paper molds, which can be easily purchased online.
Colomba di Pasqua is traditionally studded with candied orange peel. This ingredient can be challenging to find in stores, but it is easily prepared at home (we've included a recipe if you want to try it), or you can substitute any dried fruit.
The texture of the dough may surprise you, especially if you're an experienced at-home bread maker. It is very soft and sticky, and it takes a fair amount of mixing for it to come together. In your final dough, the use of chilled butter and eggs will help keep your dough firm enough to handle.
By now, you might be assessing this multipart recipe with that how-much-free-time-do-you-think-I have face, but don't turn the page yet. Yes, this recipe requires some advance planning, and yes, it will take a few days. But the hands-on work is literally minutes at a time, and then you get to ignore it for hours. Once the smell fills your kitchen, you'll know it's worth it.
• This article was provided to The Associated Press by The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York.