SERVINGS
———————SOURCE: GOURMET MAGAZINE, AP———————
La colomba, a yeast dove of peace, is Italy’s celebrated Easter loaf.
Golden with egg yolks and butter, this aristocratic bread comes in all
sizes from small pigeons to great family-size doves with two-feet wing
spans. Often its tail and wings are embossed with almond paste. In
Italy the winsome bread birds make fashionable presents, sheathed in
gay paper and festooned with glossy ribbon. With cappuccino, sampling
the bread is rewarding in any season. In a small bowl proof 1
envelope active dry yeast in 1/4 cup lukewarm milk with 1 teaspoon
sugar for 10 minutes. In a large bowl combine 1 stick or 1/2 cup
butter, softened and cut into bits, 3/4 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon
grated lemon rind, 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla, and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir
1/2 cup scalded milk into the butter mixture and let the mixture cool
until it is lukewarm. Stir in the yeast mixture and 6 egg yolks,
lightly beaten. Gradually beat in 3 cups flour, or enough to make a
soft dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and
knead in about 1 1/4 cups more flour for 10 minutes, or until it is
smooth and satiny. Form the dough into a ball, put it into a buttered
bowl, turning it to coat it with the butter, and let it rise,
covered, in a warm place for 1 1/2 hours, or until it is double in
bulk. Punch down the dough and divide it in half. Roll out half the
dough into an oval about 5 by 11 inches and lay it across the width
of a buttered 13- by 15-inch baking sheet. Roll out the remaining
dough into a triangle 5 inches wide at the base and 12 inches long.
Arrange the triangle over the oval, forming a cross. Hold the
triangle at the center and twist it once, forming the body of the
dove. Pinch in the dough about 3 inches below the tip of the triangle
to form the dove’s neck and head and elongate the tip to form the
beak. With the blunt edge of a knife, score the tail and wings to
simulate feathers. Make an almond paste topping: In a bowl cream
together 1/3 cup almond paste, 1 egg white, and 2 tablespoons sugar.
Spread the topping over the scored portion of the dove and let the
dough rise, covered, in a warm place for 30 minutes, or until it is
double in bulk. Brush the surface of the dove with 1 egg white,
lightly beaten, and sprinkle the wings with 1/4 cup sliced blanched
almonds and 1 tablespoon sugar. Bake the bread in a preheated
moderately slow oven (325-F.) for 40 to 45 minutes, or until it is
browned. Transfer the bread to a rack and serve it warm.
Yields
1 loaf