If you're familiar with Neapolitan cuisine, you know that, besides pastiera, one of the Easter classics you can't resist is casatiello. For those accustomed to a certain, more traditional cuisine, casatiello is incomprehensible: how can a bread stuffed with various cured meats be so revered that the recipe—just like that of pastiera—is passed down from generation to generation? There's only one answer: you should taste it to understand. And if you don't go to Naples to try it, then casatiello could come to you, in your kitchen. Perhaps even out of your hands. All that's missing is the recipe, at this point. Here we go.
For this recipe you may need our Dolce Stone molds with hole or, if you prefer, you can choose a shape without hole and those with hole and without hole from the Happy series White Aluminum.
Difficulty : We're not going to lie, it's there.
Preparation: 40 minutes
Cooking time : 75 minutes
Leavening : 1 hour and a half
Cost : medium
Ingredients for eight people:
For the dough:
- 400 ml of water
- 650 g of 00 flour
- 10 g of fresh brewer's yeast
- 15 g of fine salt
- pepper to taste
- 25 g of lard
- 25 g of extra virgin olive oil
For the filling:
- 150g of salami
- 150g of pecorino cheese
For decoration : 4 eggs
Preparation of the Neapolitan casatiello
- Start by adding the fresh yeast to the water. Stir until dissolved, then pour the mixture into a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.
- Add the oil and lard. Turn the mixer on low speed and gradually add half the flour. Once the flour is absorbed, add a pinch of salt.
- You can add the rest of the flour and continue on medium speed for at least ten seconds.
- Then transfer the dough onto a work surface and shape it into a ball.
- Let it rest there while you prepare the filling.
- Remove the skin from the salami and cut it into not-too-thin slices, lengthwise. Cut it first into strips and then into cubes.
- Remove the rind from the pecorino and cut it into cubes.
- Take a piece of the dough, say 80 grams, and set it aside. You'll need it for the eggs at the end.
- Flatten the remaining dough, pour the pecorino and cheese cubes over it, and work it with your hands until everything is well incorporated.
- Add a good sprinkle of black pepper and stir again to incorporate.
- Work the dough to roll it out into a loaf.
- Once it's long enough, take your mold and butter it. Now you need to place the loaf inside the mold, matching the two ends.
- Take the eggs and place them vertically in four points of the dough, applying light pressure, as if they were floating.
- Take the dough you set aside and work it into eight thin strips. Place them in a cross shape over the eggs, anchoring them to the dough.
- We're almost there. Cover the casatiello with a cloth and let it rest at room temperature for an hour and a half. After this time, you can place it in a preheated oven at 170°C (340°F) for about 80 minutes, with the mold on the bottom of the oven.
Once cooked, let it cool in the oven. Then, all you have to do is remove it and taste it. Enjoy!
And if you like classic Neapolitan recipes, then you'll definitely love our Neapolitan pastiera recipe ! Check it out!
