Colomba with sourdough

Name: Colomba with sourdough
Prep time: 120 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 180 min
Yield: 12
Ingredients: Water running, cold 0.18 cup; Sugar 6 tbsp; Sourdough starter (refreshed 3 times, 3 hours apart) 3 oz; Egg yolks cold 3 ½ tbsp; Type 00 flour (with strength w 370-390) 6 oz; Water cold 0.7 oz; Egg yolks cold 3.4 tbsp; Butter cold 7 tbsp; Type 00 flour (with strength w 370-390) ½ cup; Egg yolks cold 2.1 tbsp; Wildflower honey 2 tsp; Sugar 5 tsp; Fine salt 1 tsp; Butter 3 tbsp; Vanilla bean 1; Orange paste 3 ½ tbsp; Candied orange ¾ cup; Almond flour 1 cup; Egg whites 2.5 oz; Sugar 5 tbsp; Cornstarch 5 tbsp; Fine salt ¼ tsp; Vanilla bean 1; Granulated sugar to taste; Almonds to taste; Powdered sugar to taste

it de fr es br

Vegetarian

Difficulty: Very difficult
Prep time: 2 h
Cook time: 60 min
Serving: 12
Cost: Average
Note + the rising times (about 2 days). The sourdough to be used should have been refreshed 3 times at intervals of 3 hours between each refresh

PRESENTATION

Recipe by
Giovanni Ricciardella di Cascina Vittoria

Colomba di Pasqua with sourdough has deep roots in Lombardy, especially around Pavia, where families and expert bakers keep old traditions alive every Easter. Seriously, there’s a special pride in making this colomba sourdough recipe because it’s not just bread—it’s a real symbol of the season, packed with meaning and flavor. The tender crumb and golden crust come from slow rises, thanks to the lievito madre, which families often pass down through generations. I mean, folks in Lombardy know the secret is patience, letting the dough rest until it’s moist and light, almost like a cloud. Chef Giovanni Ricciardella—who's quite the legend in the Pavese—stands by the value of tradition and the real magic of a proper Italian Easter bread sourdough. Every bite of this bread just feels like a celebration—sweet from orange zest and candied peel, with an aroma that fills the house as it bakes. And the aroma? Amazing.

During Easter, you’ll see this colomba di Pasqua with sourdough on tables all over Italy, but honestly, nowhere does it quite like Lombardy. People really take their time with this traditional colomba recipe, watching the dough slowly double and fill with air. Pretty much, there’s real care in every step, and the crust gets showered with crunchy sugar and almonds. This makes each slice a little crispy on top and soft inside. This is the kind of bread that everyone gathers around, sharing stories and comparing whose starter makes the best rise. Making homemade colomba with starter isn’t about rushing—it’s about enjoying the process and the flavors, celebrating family and old ways. The end result is an aromatic, rich bread that feels both special and homey, with every piece showing off those classic sourdough baking techniques people love in northern Italy. That’s what sets Easter dove bread apart—real care, real flavor, and a tradition that keeps coming back year after year. It’s not just about baking; it’s about bringing people together, sharing smiles, and savoring the warm moments that make holidays memorable. Really, it’s something special.

INGREDIENTS

Ingredients for the first dough (block 1): Water 0.18 cup (40 g) - running, cold; Sugar 6 tbsp (75 g); Sourdough starter 3 oz (85 g) - (refreshed 3 times, 3 hours apart); Egg yolks 3 ½ tbsp (50 g) - cold; Type 00 flour 6 oz (170 g) - (with strength w 370-390)

For the first dough (block 2): Water 0.7 oz (20 g) - cold; Egg yolks 3.4 tbsp (50 g) - cold; Butter 7 tbsp (100 g) - cold

For the second dough: Type 00 flour ½ cup (65 g) - (with strength w 370-390); Egg yolks 2.1 tbsp (30 g) - cold; Wildflower honey 2 tsp (15 g); Sugar 5 tsp (20 g); Fine salt 1 tsp (5 g); Butter 3 tbsp (40 g); Vanilla bean 1; Orange paste 3 ½ tbsp (50 g); Candied orange ¾ cup (150 g)

For the glaze: Almond flour 1 cup (90 g); Egg whites 2.5 oz (75 g); Sugar 5 tbsp (60 g); Cornstarch 5 tbsp (40 g); Fine salt ¼ tsp (1 g); Vanilla bean 1; Granulated sugar to taste; Almonds to taste; Powdered sugar to taste

To prepare the first dough (ingredients block 1 and block 2)

For the sourdough colomba, start with the first dough by pouring into the mixer the first block of ingredients: 40 g of cold water 1, 75 g of sugar 2, and 85 g of sourdough in pieces (refreshed as advised).

Also add 50 g of egg yolks 4 and 170 g of flour 5. Mix at medium speed with the hook for about 15-20 minutes (the dough should not exceed 79°F). After the working time, the dough should be elastic and resistant when stretched with your hands 6 (make sure to grease your hands with butter before touching the dough).

Now it's time for the second block of ingredients: add 50 g of egg yolk fresh from the fridge 7, let it absorb well by mixing at the lowest speed. Add 20 g of cold water 8 and work until completely absorbed. Then add in three times 100 g of cold butter, reduced to small cubes 9. Adding it little by little will make absorption easier and prevent the dough from overheating, which should not exceed 79°F.

Once the butter is absorbed 10, transfer the dough onto a table lightly greased with butter and give it some reinforcement folds by taking the dough from the base, lifting it, and laying it back on the surface with decisive movements 11. Then close the dough, rotating it with the closure facing down on the work surface: you can help yourself with a dough scraper. Place the dough in a high greased container 12.

Add some small butter pieces on the surface to keep it hydrated 13. Cover with plastic wrap 14 and let it mature at around 82°F-86°F (ideally in the turned-off oven with the light on) for about 20 hours. After 20 hours, when the dough has tripled in volume, transfer it to the fridge for another 12 hours 15.

How to prepare the second dough

After 12 hours in the fridge, pour the matured and cold first dough into the mixer bowl 16. Add 65 g of flour 17 and mix everything again with the hook for about 45 minutes (at the lowest possible speed), until you obtain a well-bonded dough. When the dough is well-bonded, add 30 g of cold egg yolk 18 and let it absorb.

Add 20 g of sugar 19, 15 g of honey 20, let it absorb, and then add the seeds of a vanilla bean, 5 g of salt, and 40 g of cold butter cut into small cubes 21.

Work the dough until all ingredients are completely absorbed 22. Finally, add 50 g of orange paste, also cold 23. Add 150 g of orange candied fruit, also well cold 34, and restart the mixing machine for a maximum of 1 minute.

At this point, the dough will be smooth and well-bonded 25, transfer it to a work surface well greased with butter, give some reinforcement folds 26, and then let the obtained dough rest for 30 minutes in a greased container, greasing the surface with butter 27.

How to shape the colomba

Transfer the rested dough to the work surface 28, gently seal the dough giving it an elongated shape, like a loaf that is higher in the middle and thinner on the sides 29. Transfer the dough into a 1 kg colomba mold 30.

With your hands, widen the central part 31 creating the wings of the colomba 32, it doesn't matter if it doesn't perfectly fill the space, this will happen during leavening. Close the colomba in a leavening bag 33 and let it mature at 82°F for 12 hours or until the dough has almost reached the mold's edge.

How to prepare the glaze

In the meantime, make the glaze: pour into the mixer equipped with a paddle the almond flour, sugar 34, salt 35, corn starch, and egg white 36.

Flavor with the seeds of a vanilla bean 37 and mix all the ingredients at medium speed 38 for about 3 minutes, stopping the mixer during the process to collect the ingredients deposited on the bowl's edge. Transfer the glaze into a piping bag 39 and let it rest at room temperature for about 15 minutes.

How to glaze and bake

When the dough has matured correctly, distribute the glaze on the surface 40, then gently even it out with a spatula 41 and decorate with almonds 42.

Distribute also sugar pearls 43 and powdered sugar 44. Bake the colomba in a static oven for 1 hour at 302°F 45 (after 60 minutes, if the colomba is still pale, increase to 320°F for about 5 minutes). With a digital thermometer, you can check before removing from the oven that the core temperature of the colomba should be 201-204°F.

Once baking is complete, remove the colomba from the oven, pierce it with the special skewers in the center 46, and let it cool at room temperature for at least 8 hours upside down 47. The sourdough colomba is ready to be served 48.

Storage

Pack in nylon bags and store at room temperature away from humid places, consume your colomba preferably within 3-4 days.

Tip

After the 45 minutes of working in the mixer, the dough will have overheated, so it is important that the ingredients added afterward are very cold.

Place a glass of hot water in the turned-off oven to ensure the right humidity and never open the oven during leavening.

If the glaze is viscous, add almond flour; conversely, if it is too hard, add more egg white.

The sourdough must be refreshed 3 times at intervals of 3 hours between each refreshment.

It is not recommended to make separate loaves to join in the mold as they could compromise the growth and the colomba could split during baking.

Cascina Vittoria Restaurant

Located in the heart of the Pavia plain, the Cascina Vittoria restaurant is a place where you can rediscover the flavors of tradition in a gourmet style, immersed in a rustic farmhouse with ancient origins, a small oasis of peace where the Ricciardella family will welcome you, always committed to offering a unique experience to its guests. The artisanal touch of Chef Giovanni Ricciardella is found in the preparation of leavened products, sweets, and fresh pasta, all strictly made with the genuine ingredients the territory offers.

For the translation of some texts, artificial intelligence tools may have been used.