Vegan Colomba Recipe – Traditional Italian Easter Bread

Can you imagine baking your own lusciously soft Vegan Colomba this Easter? Celebrate Italian traditions with this beautiful festive sweet bread in both a traditional and chocolate version—ready in just one day and perfect for sharing with your loved ones this season.

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Picture a melt-in-your-mouth, subtly sweet bread with pops of citrus, and perhaps the indulgence of melted dark chocolate. Easter’s answer to panettone, Colomba di Pasqua is part bread, part cake and shaped like a dove (colomba), to symbolise peace, renewal and holds special religious significance. You will be swapping hot cross buns for colomba in no time!

My recipe follows a traditional style, but to adapt this into a vegan version we replace the eggs with a chickpea flour mixture and simply use plant-based butter as a substitution. Ideally you'll want to bake it in its iconic dove-shape. You can source various dove moulds at Italian stores like Costante Imports. The enriched dough is made in stages over several hours - so it does require a little commitment and patience, as you wait for the dough to rise. But unlike other recipes, it doesn't require overnight proving or a sourdough starter, so you can be indulging in warm colomba straight from the oven on the same day! By using two 500 g paper moulds, this recipe gives us two different flavours: one is a traditional version with citrus peel and almonds, while the other is a decadent chocolate extravaganza, both in the filling and as a coating. Feel free to adapt the fillings, perhaps adding dollops of jam or choc-nut spread into the uncooked dough. Given the sticky nature of the dough, a stand mixer with a hook is vital. 'Strong bread flour' refers to a high protein flour, which is important for the bread's texture and crumb. Look for a flour with about 12-13% protein. I use a fan-forced oven, so for static (conventional) ovens, try increasing the temperature by about 10°C-20°C.

Trouble shooting tips:

I've found that this vegan colomba doesn’t have a large dome-rise as much as the traditional version, but it still has a gorgeous interior, similar to the original. To prevent the colomba from sinking after baking, there are a few extra tips to keep in mind.

Avoid over-proofing the dough, particularly for the final rise in the paper moulds. Science says this can impact the final result by the dough becoming too weak, losing its strength and therefore structure. Let the dough rise just to the top of the mould, but not beyond.

Be careful not to overload the centre with heavy toppings.

Oven temperature also plays a crucial role. Baking science tells us that if an oven is too low, your bread or cake may not cook properly in the centre. Monitoring your oven with an oven thermometer can help, as I've found oven preheating signals aren’t always accurate.

However, even if it doesn’t have a perfect aesthetic appearance, the inside will still be soft, light, and beautiful. In this case, just serve as slices instead.

VEGAN COLOMBA

Colomba Vegana di Pasqua

Makes 2 x 500g Colombe

INGREDIENTS

Starter

• 80 g strong bread flour

• 1 tablespoon instant dried yeast

• large pinch of sugar

'Eggs'

• 65 g chickpea flour (besan)

• 60 ml sunflower oil (or other neutral oil)

• dash turmeric powder

Dough

• 350 g strong bread flour

• 125 ml soy milk

• 100 g sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla powder

• zest of 1 orange and 1 lemon

• ½ teaspoon lemon or orange essence (optional)

• fine salt

• 120 g butter, room temperature (you can use margarine, if you can't source vegan butter)

• 80-100 g (approximately) citrus peel

• 80-100 g (approximately) chocolate chips

Almond glaze

• ½ cup ground almonds (grind your own whole almonds or almond meal)

• ¼ cup caster sugar (superfine)

• 2 teaspoons cornflour (cornstarch)

• about 2 ½ tablespoons aquafaba (the liquid from a can of chickpeas)

  
  

To decorate

• handful of whole almonds

• about 100 g dark chocolate, melted

• chocolate chips or grated chocolate (optional)

• pearl sugar (optional)

Filling variations

• Good quality jam

• Nutella-style or pistachio spread

• Dried fruit

• Pastry cream

METHOD

1. To make the starter, combine 80 g of flour, yeast, sugar and 125 ml warm water in a bowl to form a thick batter. Cover and let it double in size in a draught-free place, which should take around 30 minutes, depending on your room temperature.
   

2. While the starter is activating, prepare the 'eggs' by whisking together the chickpea flour, 70 ml of water, sunflower oil and a dash of turmeric until smooth.
   

3. Transfer the starter to a stand mixer with a dough hook. Add the 350 g flour, milk and 'eggs’ and mix on medium-high speed for about 3 minutes to develop the gluten, aiming for a smooth, homogeneous dough.

   
   
   

   

   
   
   
   
   

4. Next, add in the sugar, vanilla, zest, citrus essence if using and a generous pinch of salt. Mix for an additional 5 minutes to further develop the gluten and create a slightly stretchy, smooth dough that has some shine. It's vital that the dough reaches this stage before adding the butter.
   

5. Gradually add the butter with the mixer going, a knob of butter at a time. Mix for 6-7 minutes until glossy.
   

   
   
   

   

   
   
   
   
   

6. Transfer the dough to a large bowl, cover, and allow it to rise until doubled in size (about 1-2 hours).
   

7. Pour the risen dough onto a lightly oiled surface and gently fold the dough over itself a few times to incorporate extra air, allowing it to rest in between each fold, so that it's easier to stretch. If you're using 2x 500g moulds, divide the dough in half. Gently flatten each half and then scatter one with the citrus peel and the other with chocolate chips.

   
   
   

   

8. Next, roll each piece into a long log (see photo below). You can create the dove shape in two ways:
   

   1. Simple Method – Slice the log in half. Place one piece in the paper mould lengthwise, then lay the other on top to form a cross shape. Press down gently.
      

   2. Wing Method – Slice off about a third of the dough, then divide that third in two, to form the wings (see photos below).

   
   
   

   
   
   

9. Cover with a towel and allow to rise until the dough almost reaches the top of the mould - but not too far beyond, as you don't want to overprove the dough (1-2 hours). In the meantime, prepare the almond glaze.
   

   

10. For the almond glaze, mix together the ground almonds, sugar and cornflour. Gradually stir in the aquafaba, enough to make a paste.

    
    

11. Gently brush the top of the colombe with the almond glaze, being careful not to deflate the dough. For the classic citrus peel colomba, scatter over a handful of whole almonds and pearl sugar, if desired. For the chocolate version, you can either brush a little almond glaze or keep it plain - as you'll be coating with melted chocolate after baking.
    

    

    
    
    

12. Place the colombe on a tray or separate trays, towards the the bottom section of a 150°C (fan-forced/convection) oven. Bake for about 20 minutes. Then increase the temperature to 160°C and continue baking for another 20-30 minutes. Keep an eye on it to prevent from burning the surface. Though a nice brown crust is ideal.
    

    

    
    

13. Remove the colombe from the oven. You may like to carefully pierce its base with a panettone pin or long skewers (or knitting needles!), then hang and suspend the colombe upside down for several hours until it cools completely. This can help create structure and texture, however, I haven't found a huge difference in doing this with my vegan colomba!
    

14. Allow the colombe to cool before slicing and serving. Though tearing into a warm, golden chunk of bread is rather lovely too. For the chocolate colomba, once it has cooled, pour melted dark chocolate over the surface and spread it over smoothly. Allow to set before serving.
    

    

    
    
    
    

15. Colomba is best enjoyed within the first couple of days, as it dries out quickly (especially being a homemade version without all the additives). However, it will keep for up to 5 days if wrapped in plastic wrap (or an eco-friendly alternative) and stored in an airtight bag or container. For those later days, a quick warm up in the microwave is a scrumptious way to enjoy it. You can also freeze portions to enjoy it in the coming weeks; it’s especially delicious toasted and smothered with butter.

    
    

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Keep an eye out for an upcoming Instagram reel featuring this vegan colomba recipe!