Easter Dove Bread

The Easter Dove Bread recipe described in the tutorial is one version of a typical dessert we are usually eating in Italy in Easter time. I'm sure you all have heard about "Colomba cake", which is one of the reasons I always look forward Easter.

The Easter Dove Bread is very easy to make and it's always appreciated as a gift when you have been invited at someone's house during Easter time. The Easter Dove Bread will be an original alternative to a common bottle of wine as a present to your hosts.

So which are the ingredients you need to have in order to prepare your Easter dove bread? They are:

• 500 g strong white flower + some more for the surface
• 25 g butter
• 1 tsp sugar (5 g)
• 1 1/2 tsp salt (7.5 g)
• 1 tsp fast action dried yeast (5 g)
• 320 ml warm water (microwave for 30 seconds if not warm)
• 1 hard-boiled egg
• 1 black pepper grain

In addition, you will need also:

• Kitchen scale
• Dove shaped stencil
• Large bowl
• Cling film and kitchen foil
• Scissors, knife and fork

After having scaled all the required ingredients, start putting the flour into a large bowl, add the butter and rub in with the fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the sugar, salt and yeast. Gradually mix in warm water to make a soft dough. Knead well on a lightly floured surface for about 10 min until smooth and elastic, then place it back into the bowl, cover with cling film. Leave the dough in a warm place for about an hour to rise.Tip the dough out onto a a lightly floured surface, knead well and place it back in a covered bowl as done before and leave it rise for another hour.

The dove is now ready to be created!

In order to do that, roll out the dough into a large round and lay it on a kitchen foil. Put the dove paper stencil on the dough and cut the shape of the dove with a knife (or you can use a dove cookies cutter if you have it). By doing this you will end up with a dove shaped dough.

Start adding to the dove dough few decorative elements: with the help of a fork create the dove's feet and with a knife the dove's tail. Cut the surface of the dough in order to replicate the dove's wing: some curved lines in the top middle of the dough should be enough. I've used a pair of scissors for that, it's quite an easy step. Complete the decoration sticking the pepper grain into the dough to create the dove's eye.

Shape now two short strings (10 cm length each) using some spare dough of the previous step. Place the egg previously boiled in the center of the dove, just below the wing and make sure it's well fastened: cross the strings each on the other and on the egg and properly press the extremes of the strings on the base.

Sprinkle some water on the dough and the Easter Dove Bread is ready to be baked: preheat the oven and bake it for 30 min at 190°C.

The Easter Dove Bread is now ready to fly away! :)

I hope you will enjoy creating you own Easter Dove Bread as I've done and... happy Easter everyone :)