Skip to main content

Colomba di Pasqua II

Annnnd because I can never do anything the same way twice, I did a variation of my first colomba di pasqua...this time with unsweetened cocoa and chocolate chips.

Breads
2 quarter ounce packages of active dry yeast
1/2 C warm water (approx. 110 degrees)
1/2 C butter, room temperature
7 oz. package almond paste (in the baking aisle of most grocery stores)
1/2 C organic granulated sugar
1/4 C unsweetened cocoa
1 T pure vanilla extract
1 t pink Himalaya salt
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 large egg, separated
1/2 C warm milk (approx. 110 degrees)
4 1/2 to 5 1/2 C white whole wheat flour
1/2 C dried cherries
1/2 C raw pistachios
1/2 C semisweet chocolate chips

Glaze
1/2 C organic granulated sugar
1/2 C ground almonds
2 large egg whites
1/4 t almond extract
1 C sliced almonds
1 C semisweet chocolate chips
Powdered sugar

1. In a small cup or bowl, stir the yeast into water to soften.

2. In a large bowl, cream the butter, almond paste and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the softened yeast, vanilla, salt, eggs, egg yolk, milk, unsweetened cocoa, and 3 cups flour to the creamed mixture. Beat vigorously for 2 minutes.

3. Gradually add flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until the dough begins to pull away from the side of the bowl. Gently stir in dried cherries, pistachios, and chocolate chips.

4. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface. Knead, adding flour a little at a time, until you have a smooth, elastic dough. Put the dough into an oiled bowl. Turn to coat the entire ball of dough with oil. Cover with plastic wrap or a tightly woven cloth and let rise about 1 1/2 hours. Due to the almond paste, this recipe doesn't double in size.

5. Divide dough into halves. Place the two dove shaped pans on a large baking sheet, then arrange dough in the pans. Cover with a towel and let rise 45 minutes. Although the dough won't rise as high as other types of yeast dough, it will rise during baking.

6. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Beat all glaze ingredients except almonds, chocolate chips, and powdered sugar together. Gently mix in almond then spoon over the breads. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and chocolate chips. Bake for 45 minutes.

7. Remove pans to a cooking rack and cool completely.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Quick Pickled Red Onions and Radishes

If you've been reading my blog for even a short amount of time, you probably know how much I love to pickle things. I was just telling a friend you can pickle - with vinegar - or you can ferment - with salt - for similar delicious effect. The latter has digestive benefits and I love to do that, but when I need that pop of sour flavor quickly, I whip up quick pickles that are ready in as little as a day or two. I've Pickled Blueberries , Pickled Asparagus , Pickled Cranberries , Pickled Pumpkin , and even Pickled Chard Stems ! This I did last night for an upcoming recipe challenge that requires I include radishes. Ummmm...of course I'm pickling them! Ingredients  makes 1 quart jar radishes, trimmed and sliced organic red onions, peeled and thinly sliced (I used a mandolin slicer) 3/4 C vinegar (I used white distilled vinegar) 3/4 C water 3 T organic granulated sugar 1 T salt (I used some grey sea salt) 6 to 8 grinds of black pepper Proce

Aloo Tiki {Pakistan}

To start off our Pakistani culinary adventure, I started us off with aloo tiki - potato cutlets. I'm always game for tasty street food. I found a couple of different recipes and incorporated those together for this version. Ingredients 6-8 small red potatoes, scrubbed 1 T cumin seeds 1 T fresh chopped parsley 1/2 t ground coriander 1 t minced garlic Procedure Boil the potatoes until they are tender. Drain and let cool. Mash the potatoes. Traditionally they are mashed without their skins. I left the skins on. In a small pan, toast the cumin seeds on high heat until the begin to give off an aroma and begin to darken. Remove from heat and transfer to a plate to keep them from cooking any more. Blend all of the spices into the mashed potatoes, then shape into small patties. If you wet your hands, the potato mixture won't stick to them. Heat a splash of oil in a large, flat-bottom pan. Dip each patty into beaten egg and carefully place in the oil. P

Meyer Lemon Custard-Filled Matcha Turtles #BreadBakers

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely bread by following our  Pinterest board  right here. Links are also updated after each event on the  Bread Bakers home page .  We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. This month Stacy of Food Lust People Love  is hosting and she wrote: "Your bread can be large, as in one big animal, or small - animal-shaped rolls. Use your imagination! Points for flavor and shape!" If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send an email with your blog URL to Stacy at foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com. Here's the animal-shaped bread basket from the #BreadBakers... Beef and Sweet Onion Dim Sum Pandas from Karen's Kitchen Stories Bird Bread Rolls from Ambrosia Easter Bunny Buns from Cook with Renu Ham and Cheese Elephant Rolls from Food Lust People Love Hedgehog Bread from Making Mir