Neapolitan Easter Bread

La storia di questo piatto

Casatiello is Naples at Easter, a ring of bread that rises in the quiet of the night and is found golden at dawn. It belongs to the table where families gather, with whole eggs set in its crown like a promise of spring.

Ingredienti

• 500 g Strong bread flour (W280 protein content)
• 15 g Fresh baker's yeast
• 170 g Lard
• 220 ml Warm water
• 10 g Fine sea salt
• 2 g Freshly ground black pepper
• 100 g Rendered pork cracklings (or pancetta, diced)
• 150 g Aged provolone piccante (or Provolone del Monaco), diced
• 150 g Spicy Neapolitan salami, diced
• 80 g Grated Pecorino Romano
• 6 pieces Whole eggs in shells (for baking in)

Preparazione

1. Dissolve the yeast in the warm water—the right temperature feels like a baby's bath, 86-95°F: if it scalds your hand, it scalds the yeast and nothing will rise. Pour the flour into a well in your large bowl and add the yeast water gradually, mixing from the center outward. Once the dough begins to come together, add the salt dissolved in a tablespoon of water, then incorporate 80 g of softened lard (reserve the remaining 90 g: 60 g for lamination, 20 g to grease the pan and bowl, 10 g to brush the surface before baking) in 2-3 additions, working each one thoroughly before adding the next: this keeps the gluten network strong despite the fat, and it's precisely this fat that gives the crumb its softness you'll recognize at first bite.
2. Work the dough vigorously on a floured surface for about fifteen minutes, pushing with the heel of your hand and folding it over itself: it should become smooth and elastic, no longer sticking to your hands. When you stretch a small piece between your fingers it should thin to a delicate membrane before tearing—with lard inside, perfect transparency isn't necessary. Set aside about 70 g of dough covered: you'll need it for crosses on the eggs. Shape the rest into a ball, place it in a bowl greased lightly with the reserved lard (from the 20 g for greasing), cover with plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled—watch the volume, not the clock, but it will take approximately two hours. If you prefer to plan ahead, you can refrigerate the dough overnight and resume it the next morning, letting it return to room temperature for an hour before stretching.
3. Take the risen dough and gently deflate it, then roll it out with a rolling pin into a large thin rectangle, 1/8 to 1/5 inch thick. Soften the 60 g of lard reserved for lamination and mix it with half the pepper, about 1 g: spread it across the entire sheet with a spatula or your fingers, right to the edges. Scatter the cracklings, diced provolone, salami, and grated Pecorino over the top, finishing with the remaining pepper. Add no additional salt: the aged cheeses and cured meats already carry plenty.
4. Roll the rectangle tightly from the long side like a salami: the lard coating creates the layers that make a true casatiello. Seal the final edge well by pinching it with your fingers so it won't open during baking. Join the two ends to form a ring and lay it in a casatiello mold, or a ring cake pan, greased with the remaining lard, pressing gently so it settles evenly on the bottom.
5. Cover the pan with a clean kitchen towel and let the dough rest in a warm place until it nearly reaches the rim—about an hour. You'll know it's ready when it looks puffy and soft to the touch, and if you press gently with a finger the dough springs back slowly without snapping back immediately.
6. Rinse the eggshells carefully under running water and nestle the whole raw eggs into the dough, spacing them evenly around the ring and pressing gently so they stay in place. From the reserved dough, fashion 12 thin strips and secure each egg with two strips crossed in an X: the Paschal cross, the mark that has always accompanied the casatiello. It's the most beautiful and recognizable gesture of this preparation: do it unhurried, with clean hands and a touch of pride, because it's the signature of this bread.
7. Bake in a preheated static oven at 350°F, placing the pan in the lower-middle position so it cooks gently without browning too quickly on top, for 55-60 minutes. If the surface darkens too much after 40 minutes, cover with aluminum foil for the final 15 minutes. It's done when golden and your kitchen smells of laminated dough and melted cheese: insert a skewer into the dough between two eggs, never through an egg, and if it comes out clean you can remove it from the oven; with a thermometer, use it only as a secondary reference—the heart of the dough should register 194-198°F.
8. Remove from the oven and let the bread cool in the pan for about ten minutes before inverting it onto a cooling rack: if you slice it while still hot the crumb compresses and you lose all the tenderness you've patiently built. Serve it warm or at room temperature, perhaps with spicy salami and a good glass of wine nearby. Taste a piece near an egg: the contrast between the savory crumb and the firm yolk is the true soul of this celebration.