Celebration Bread, Italian Style The six easy steps to colomba pasquale, a rich, sweet loaf that's an extraordinary addition to the holiday table. Master baker Gary Rulli shows you how. Nothing could make Easter brunch more festive than serving colomba pasquale ("Easter dove"), a decorative celebration bread from Italy. Sweet and buttery, it is prepared with candied orange peel and topped with crunchy almonds and sugar. It's said that bakers in Milan have been making colomba since the twelfth century, and after one taste, you'll be ready to begin a new baking tradition in your home. Gary Rulli knows that feeling. As owner of Emporio Rulli, an Italian-style bakery and café located just outside of San Francisco in Larkspur, he says that colomba is an essential baking lesson learned by anyone apprenticing in a Milan pastry shop, as he did in the early 1980s. After returning to California, he opened Emporio Rulli in 1988, and colomba has been an Easter staple there ever since. Baked in a dove-shaped paper mold, colomba is a light version of Italy's famous panettone. But that doesn't mean it's hard to make. "It's not challenging at all for the home baker because the recipe is very straightforward," Rulli says. In fact, there are six easy steps to Rulli's recipe. But he key to this bread's success isn't any fancy technique or kitchen tool - it's patience. "Don't rush it," advises Rulli. There are five rises to this bread, one lasting eight to ten hours, so you'll just need to set aside some time to keep an eye on it. But Rulli says the results are worth the wait; the slow fermentation helps the bread develop rich flavor and stay moist. Plus, this recipe makes two loaves, which means you can present one as a gift and keep one just for your family.    Article courtesy of Bon Appetit - April 2002