• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F/176 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper

Make the dough:

• Combine the first 5 ingredients. Mix well with a wooden spoon.
  1 cup boiling water, 1 teaspoon cooking oil, 1 teaspoon white sugar, 1 egg, 2 drops yellow food coloring
• Add only 2 of the cups flour to start. Knead by hand on a floured surface.
  3 cups all- purpose flour
• If more flour is needed, add a little at a time. (up to the 3 cups, but you may not need it ). The dough should be thick, like play-Doh

Shape the doves:

• Roll out the dough into snakes about the thickness of a finger; cut into 2 -  4 inch sections.
• Place one strip horizontally on your work surface; lay another strip on top like a cross
• Pull the arm of the strip beneath up and cross to the opposite side. 
• Now pull the other (left) side across (left side becomes right, right side becomes left)
• Flatten and shape slightly as for wings, then use a plastic or regular knife to cut little feathers into tail
• Using the other (non-cutting side) of the knife blade, press feather impressions into wings
• Shape one end of the straight strip of dough like a head (pinch for a beak)
• Add a poppy seed or piece of a currant for eyes (I used pieces of currants- not the entire currant)
• Let rise for 5 minutes.

Bakes the doves:

• Then palce the doves in preheated oven and bake for 10 mintues.
• Remove and brush with the beaten egg, which has been diluted with 1 teaspoon of water
  1 egg, 1 teaspoon water or milk
• Return to the oven for another 10 minutes.
• Remove from oven. Cool for 5 minutes.
• Insert a toothpick on the bottom of each dove to enable insertion into decorative ritual breads (see photos in post).