| Colomba pasquale | |
| Alternate Name: | Colomba di Pasqua |
| Country: | Italy |
| Region: | Milan |
| Creator: | Angelo Motta |
| Course: | Dessert |
| Main Ingredient: | Flour, eggs, sugar, butter, candied peel, pearl sugar, almonds |
Colomba pasquale (pronounced as /it/) or colomba di Pasqua (pronounced as /it/) is an Italian traditional Easter bread, the Easter counterpart of the two well-known Italian Christmas desserts, panettone and pandoro.
The dough for the colomba is made in a similar manner to panettone, with flour, eggs, sugar, natural yeast, and butter; unlike panettone, it usually contains candied peel and no raisins. The dough is then fashioned into a dove shape (colomba in Italian) and finally is topped with pearl sugar and almonds before being baked. Some manufacturers produce other versions, including a popular bread topped with chocolate.[1] The colomba was commercialised by the Milanese baker and businessman Angelo Motta as an Easter version of the Christmas speciality panettone.[2]