Columba Di Pasqua

This is a very sweet and very rich Easter holiday bread that originated in Italy. It is traditionally shaped into a cross shape. In addition to egg and butter in the formula it is also flavoured with candied orange peel, almond paste, vanilla, and then dusted with sugar after baked. This dough is also very intensively mixed. With a preferment (Italian levain), a first dough, and then a final dough. This is a very delicious bread but does require a lot of inactive labour.


This formula is from the Michel Suas Book Advanced Bread and Pastry, A Professional Approach, Pg. 369
Yields: 1844.40 kg


Italian Levain*
DDT= 85°F
Fermentation Time: 4 hours (minimum)
100% Bread Flour, 123 g

Mixing First Dough

50% Water, 62 g
100% Starter, 123 g


First Dough: 
DDT= 85°
Fermentation Time: 3 hours
100% Bread Flour, 985 g
40% Water, 394 g
25% Egg yolks, 246 g
37.5% Sugar, 369 g
37.5% Butter, 369 g
Italian levain, 31.30% 308 g
0.20% Instant Yeast, 2 g


Final Dough:
100% Bread Flour, 246 g
18% Water, 44 g

Incorporated First Dough

100% Egg yolks, 246 g
75% Sugar, 184 g
50% Honey, 123 g
4% Salt, 10 g
150% Butter, 369 g
10% Cocoa butter (in small pieces), 25 g
1087.40% First dough, 2.674 kg
1 1/4 Vanilla bean
1 1/4 Orange zest
200% Candied orange peel (small dice), 492 g
50% Almond paste (frozen and in small pieces), 123 g
Total: 1844.40%


*The levain is a stiff, more stiff then pat fermenté,  preferment. Its toughness helps give strength to a high sugar and high tenderizer dough like this one.

Developed Final Dough

MOP: Intensive Mix
DDT: 78°F


Italian Levain:

• Mix Levain the night before. Mix all ingredients until combined. Like you would mix a pat fermenté dough.

First/Intermediate Dough:

• Combine all ingredients in mixer. Mix on first speed until ingredients are incorporated, roughly 4 minutes.
• Cover and let rest for 3 hours at 85°F.

Final Dough:

Add zest, honey, vanilla, flour, salt into mixing bowl. Mix ingredients, add water as necessary to hydrate the mixture. Mix until ingredients are hydrated and come together. Scrape down as needed.

When the ingredients are combined, alternate adding egg yolks and sugar in three stages. Mix until it is homogenized.

Increase to second speed until the gluten is fully developed; you can pull a windowpane with little to no gnarls in it. This should take a while because of all the tenderizers and fat in this formula. The dough will look very shiny and the windowpane will be really easy to make.

Add butter in sections/pieces, continue mixing in second speed while adding butter.
Add cocoa butter, candied orange peel, frozen almond paste in first speed until incorporated.
Pull dough off and place in oiled covered bin.

Retard for 30 minutes and then fold. The dough is still really soft so it can be folded easier in the bin.
Retard dough for another 30 minutes.

Portion dough to 500 g pieces.
Pre shape in a round. Let bench rest for a few minutes before final rounding into a greased mold.
Retard at room temperature for 7 hours (or overnight in the refrigerator).


If you let the dough sit in the refrigerator over night let it come to room temperature and then finish proofing for 2-3 hours. Bake the Columba Di Pasqua at