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Casatiello Napoletano - Neapolitan Stuffed Easter Bread

Casatiello is a Neapolitan Stuffed Bread recipe made during Easter time. It requires time prepare but it is absolutely delicious.

Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 20 mins
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 882 kcal
Course: Bread
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

For the dough
  • 600 600 grams flour
  • 225 225 grams lard
  • 1 1/2 1 1/2 cubes brewer's yeast
  • salt
  • black pepper in abundance
  • 1 1 tablespoon Pecorino Romano cheese grated
  • 2 2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese grated
  • 6 6 whole eggs with the shell
  • 250 250 milliliters lukewarm water *In the original recipe the amount of water is not specified, but the directions say to “use as much water as needed to make a rather soft dough.”
For the filling
  • 300 300 grams Neapolitan salami
  • 100 100 grams cicoli* *Pressed pieces of fatty pork
  • 200 200 grams spicy provolone
  • 200 200 grams Emmenthal cheese
  • 100 100 grams Neapolitan pecorino cheese in small pieces
  • 50 50 grams pecorino romano grated
  • 50 50 grams Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese grated
  • black pepper

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Dissolve the brewer’s yeast in lukewarm water.
  2. Add half the lard, the flour, the salt, lots of black pepper, and the grated cheeses, and work vigorously for about 10 minutes until the mixture is homogeneous and smooth.
  3. Put the dough in a large bowl and cover with a dry tea towel, followed by a thicker towel, and let it rest for a couple of hours or until it has doubled in volume.
  4. While the dough is rising, with a kitchen knife cut the cheeses and salami into cubes and put them aside in a bowl together with the cicoli.
  5. Place the risen dough on a surface that has been generously sprinkled with flour. Use a rolling pin to work the dough into a rectangle shape.
  6. Then brush the dough with some of the remaining lard, fold the dough, and rework it. Repeat this process until you have used up all the lard indicated in the recipe.
  7. Set aside a small amount of dough; you will need it to form the crosses that will enclose the eggs.
  8. With the rest of the dough, form a rectangle about a centimeter high, and cover the entire surface with the salami, cicoli, and cheese mixture.
  9. Sprinkle the grated cheeses and black pepper all over the surface, then roll the dough up, tightening it as much as possible. Rub the suet over the entire roll.
  10. Place the roll in the greased pan and manipulate it into a donut shape, joining the two ends properly. Cover it again and leave it in a warm place to rise for roughly 2 hours.
  11. Before baking it, place the eggs on the casatiello at equal distances from each other and secure them with strips of dough in the form of crosses.
  12. Place it in a cold oven (NOT preheated) and bake it at 160 C (320 F) for the first 10 minutes, then increase the temperature to 170-180 C (340 F - 350 F) for another 50 minutes.

Notes

  • Sugna, or suet, is to be added generously to the dough before stuffing it. Also rub suet on the outside, and use it to grease the ruoto pan.
  • The preparation time is considerable, and the worst thing you can do is try to rush the process. Considering the leavening, cooking, and preparation, I suggest you factor in about 5 hours.

Nutrition Information

Calories 882kcal (44%) Carbohydrates 62g (21%) Protein 43g (86%) Fat 49g (75%) Saturated Fat 23g (115%) Cholesterol 229mg (76%) Sodium 1522mg (63%) Potassium 408mg (12%) Fiber 3g (12%) Sugar 1g (2%) Vitamin A 2155IU (43%) Vitamin C 9.9mg (11%) Calcium 782mg (78%) Iron 5.1mg (28%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 8people

Amount Per Serving

Calories 882

% Daily Value*

Calories 882kcal 44%
Carbohydrates 62g 21%
Protein 43g 86%
Fat 49g 75%
Saturated Fat 23g 115%
Cholesterol 229mg 76%
Sodium 1522mg 63%
Potassium 408mg 9%
Fiber 3g 12%
Sugar 1g 2%
Vitamin A 2155IU 43%
Vitamin C 9.9mg 11%
Calcium 782mg 78%
Iron 5.1mg 28%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.