Let’s Prepare the Savory Leavened Colomba Together

• In the bowl of the stand mixer (you can also do this by hand on a work surface), put the flour, active dry yeast, and a pinch of sugar, and mix. In another small bowl, combine the milk and the two eggs and beat lightly.

  

• Start the stand mixer with the dough hook and begin to mix the flour with the yeast. Then gradually add the milk and eggs, mixing at medium-low speed until a solid dough begins to form. At this point, start adding the softened butter, one piece at a time, waiting for each piece to be absorbed before adding the next.

  

• When you have a couple of pieces of butter left to add, incorporate the salt and then continue with the butter. Let the machine work until the dough is well incorporated into the hook and completely detached from the sides, forming a ball. Turn it onto a work surface, shape it into a sphere, and place it to rise in a lightly greased bowl covered with plastic wrap for about 2 hours until doubled.

  

• After two hours, the dough should be well risen, soft, and fluffy. If not, let it rise a bit longer. It often depends on the temperature in your home; I usually let it rise in the turned-off oven.

  

• Take the risen dough and turn it onto a work surface, stretching it first with your hands and then rolling it with a rolling pin to form a rectangle about 14×20 inches. Sprinkle it with half of the grated parmesan.

  

• Place the ham slices over the grated cheese, trying to cover the entire surface, then sprinkle again with the remaining parmesan. The filling should be well arranged to cover every part, leaving the long edges free to seal it at the end.

  

• Place more ham slices over the parmesan, then cover with the smoked provola slices, again ensuring the long sides are free.

  

• Now that the dough is filled, take one of the long sides and start rolling it tightly, but not too much, as you roll to compact it. Once you have a log, place the seam on the bottom and cut it. You should get pieces about the width of two fingers. Mark the spots to cut with a knife for accuracy, and then cut. You should end up with 12 slices.

  

• Take a colomba mold and grease it well, then start placing the slices of dough inside, 8 for the central part and 4 for the head and tail. Once all the slices are in, cover with plastic wrap and let rise for an hour in the turned-off oven.

  

• After an hour, the colomba will have risen. Brush it with some milk and bake it in a preheated oven at 340°F (170°C) for 50 minutes. If you notice it’s browning too much, you can cover it with aluminum foil for the last ten minutes of baking.

  

• Remove the savory colomba from the oven and let it cool slightly before taking it out of the mold to cool completely before eating. While waiting for it to cool, snap a photo of your soft savory cake and post it on social media tagging me (una riccia che pasticcia instagram and facebook) and let me know if you’ll bring it in your basket on Easter Monday.