Chocolate hazelnut and candied orange colomba

To prepare the biga, combine the all-purpose flour, water and 1/8 tsp instant yeast in a large bowl the night before you want to make the bread. Cover the bowl and leave it at room temperature for up to 15 hours.

The following day, combine the bubbly starter with the 00 flour, 1¼ tsp salt, 1 tbsp yeast, 70g white sugar, butter, 2 eggs and 1 more yolk and the orange extract/blossom water. Mix to combine, scraping down the sides if necessary. Once combined, knead for approx. 12 minutes at a medium speed, stopping the mixer every 3 minutes to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl. The dough should become elastic and glossy. It should start leaving the bottom and sides of the bowl, though it won’t form a smooth ball.

Zest the orange. Knead the zest and candied citrus rind into the dough.

Divide the dough into two pieces, with one slightly larger than the other. On a clean surface, roll each into a rough rectangle approx. 25cm long. Evenly spread the chocolate hazelnut spread over each rectangle and roll them up to form a log. Place the smaller log on top of the larger one, forming a cross shape. Cover the shaped dough with a tea towel or lightly greased cling film and set it aside to rise until it’s puffy – this will take approx. 1-2 hours, depending on the type of yeast you’ve used.

Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 180°C, gas mark 4.

Make the topping by mixing the egg white, ground almonds and 2 tbsp sugar. Chop the hazelnuts. Gently brush the egg white mixture all over the dough until it’s well covered. Sprinkle over the chopped hazelnuts, followed by the sugar.

Bake the loaf for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven heat to 170°C, gas mark 3, and bake for a further 20 minutes. Place a sheet of aluminium foil over the bread for the final 10 minutes of baking. The finished loaf will be golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the centre should register approx 88°C.

Remove the bread from the oven, and carefully slide it onto a rack to cool. Thinly slice and serve.