Chef Graziella
Biove Piemontesi
The boat-shaped bread rolls of Piedmont, crusty and substantial, built on an overnight biga that gives them character no quick bread can match. Northern Italian baking at its most honest.
Culinary Explorer
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Casatiello Napoletano
Created by
The savory Easter bread of Naples, where lard-enriched dough embraces chunks of salami and sharp cheese, crowned with whole eggs that bake within their shells. This is how Naples celebrates resurrection.
Breads
Italian, Neapolitan
Easter
Holiday
1 hr
Active Time
1 hr cook•6 hr total
Yield1 large ring, serving 10-12
Casatiello is not bread. It is a statement. It is Naples saying that after forty days of Lenten deprivation, we will have everything at once: lard, salami, cheese, eggs. All of it. In one glorious ring.
The dough is enriched with strutto, the rendered pork fat that gives Neapolitan baking its distinctive richness. You cannot substitute butter. Butter is northern. Butter is French. This is Naples, where pigs have fed families for centuries and nothing is wasted. The lard makes the crumb tender and the crust golden in a way butter never could.
The filling is not delicate. Chunks of salami napoletano, cubes of sharp pecorino and provolone, sometimes cicoli if you can find them. These are folded into the dough so that every slice reveals the abundance within. And then, the eggs: whole, raw, nestled into the top of the ring and secured with crosses of dough. They cook as the bread bakes, emerging with creamy yolks and shells that peel away to reveal the bread's embrace.
This is not a bread you make casually. This is a bread you make because Easter is coming and your grandmother made it and her grandmother before her. The recipe exists in the hands of Neapolitan women who never wrote anything down.
Casatiello takes its name from 'caso,' the old Neapolitan word for cheese. The bread appears in records dating to the 17th century, though its origins likely reach further into the traditions of breaking the Lenten fast. The eggs secured with dough crosses carry obvious Easter symbolism, and in many Neapolitan families, the casatiello is blessed at church before being broken at the table.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
bread flour or tipo 00 flour
Quantity
500g
lard (strutto)
Quantity
200g
at room temperature, divided
active dry yeast
Quantity
7g
sugar
Quantity
1 teaspoon
warm water
Quantity
180ml
large eggs
Quantity
3
at room temperature
fine sea salt
Quantity
10g
black pepper
Quantity
2 teaspoons
freshly ground
salami napoletano or sopressata
Quantity
150g
cut into 1cm cubes
pecorino Romano
Quantity
100g
cut into 1cm cubes
provolone
Quantity
100g
cut into 1cm cubes
cicoli (pork cracklings) (optional)
Quantity
50g
whole eggs in shells
Quantity
4
washed and dried
egg yolk
Quantity
1
beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for glaze
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| bread flour or tipo 00 flour | 500g |
| lard (strutto)at room temperature, divided | 200g |
| active dry yeast | 7g |
| sugar | 1 teaspoon |
| warm water | 180ml |
| large eggsat room temperature | 3 |
| fine sea salt | 10g |
| black pepperfreshly ground | 2 teaspoons |
| salami napoletano or sopressatacut into 1cm cubes | 150g |
| pecorino Romanocut into 1cm cubes | 100g |
| provolonecut into 1cm cubes | 100g |
| cicoli (pork cracklings) (optional) | 50g |
| whole eggs in shellswashed and dried | 4 |
| egg yolkbeaten with 1 tablespoon water, for glaze | 1 |
Equipment Needed
- •25cm ring mold or tube pan
- •Large mixing bowl
- •Plastic wrap or clean kitchen towels
- •Pastry brush
Instructions
- 1
Activate the yeast
Dissolve the sugar in the warm water. Sprinkle the yeast over the surface and let it stand until foamy, about 10 minutes. If the yeast does not foam, it is dead. Discard it and begin again with fresh yeast.
- 2
Make the dough
Place the flour in a large bowl and make a well in the center. Add the yeast mixture, the three eggs, and 150g of the softened lard. Mix with your hands, gathering the flour from the sides until a shaggy dough forms. Turn out onto a clean surface and knead vigorously for 10 to 12 minutes. The dough will be sticky at first. Resist the temptation to add more flour. Continue kneading until it becomes smooth and elastic, pulling away from your hands cleanly.
Enriched doughs take longer to develop gluten than lean doughs. The fat coats the flour particles and slows the process. Patience is required. - 3
Add the salt and pepper
Flatten the dough, sprinkle the salt and pepper over the surface, and fold it over. Knead for another 3 minutes to incorporate the seasonings evenly. The dough should now be silky and pliable.
- 4
First rise
Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a lightly greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 2 hours. The lard in the dough slows the rise. Do not rush it.
- 5
Prepare the filling
Combine the cubed salami, pecorino, provolone, and cicoli if using in a bowl. Toss to mix evenly. Reserve about two tablespoons of the remaining lard for greasing the pan and final assembly.
- 6
Incorporate the filling
Turn the risen dough onto a lightly floured surface. Press it into a large rectangle, roughly 40 by 30 centimeters. Scatter half of the filling over the dough, pressing it gently into the surface. Fold the dough in thirds, like a letter. Press into a rectangle again and scatter the remaining filling over the surface. Fold once more. The filling should be distributed throughout the dough.
Some filling will try to escape as you fold. Press it back in. The chunks should be visible throughout the bread when sliced. - 7
Shape the ring
Roll the dough into a long rope, about 60 centimeters. Generously grease a 25cm ring mold or tube pan with the reserved lard. Coil the dough rope into the pan, joining the ends and pressing to seal. The dough should fill the pan about halfway. Cover and let rise until the dough reaches the top of the pan, about 1 to 1.5 hours.
- 8
Add the eggs
Heat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Gently press the four whole eggs into the top of the risen dough, spacing them evenly around the ring. For each egg, take a small piece of reserved dough (or trim from the edges), roll it into two thin strips, and cross them over the egg, pressing the ends firmly into the dough. This secures the eggs during baking. Brush the entire surface with the egg yolk glaze.
The dough crosses over the eggs are not merely decorative. They hold the eggs in place as the bread rises in the oven. Press them firmly. - 9
Bake the casatiello
Bake until the crust is deeply golden and the bread sounds hollow when tapped, 50 minutes to 1 hour. If the top browns too quickly, tent loosely with foil. The internal temperature should reach 90°C (195°F). The eggs will be fully cooked, the whites set and yolks creamy.
- 10
Cool completely
Let the casatiello cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a rack. Cool completely before slicing. This bread is traditionally eaten at room temperature, not warm. Cutting too soon will compress the crumb and waste your work.
Chef Tips
- •Strutto, the rendered lard of Naples, is essential. Look for it at Italian specialty shops or butchers who make their own. In desperation, you may use high-quality leaf lard. Do not use shortening or butter. The flavor will not be correct.
- •Salami napoletano has a coarse grind and gentle seasoning. Sopressata is an acceptable substitute. Avoid American-style pepperoni, which is too spicy and too oily.
- •The eggs baked into the crust were traditionally dyed red for Easter. If you wish to maintain this custom, use natural dyes and allow them to dry completely before placing on the dough.
- •Casatiello keeps well, wrapped, at room temperature for three to four days. It is meant to be eaten throughout the Easter holiday, not consumed at one meal.
Advance Preparation
- •The dough can be made through the first rise, then refrigerated overnight. Bring to room temperature before proceeding. The cold fermentation develops flavor.
- •The finished casatiello keeps for 3 to 4 days at room temperature, wrapped in foil or paper. Do not refrigerate; the bread becomes stale more quickly when chilled.
- •In Naples, casatiello is traditionally made on Holy Thursday or Good Friday, blessed at church on Holy Saturday, and eaten for Easter breakfast or lunch.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 140g)
Calories
530 calories
Total Fat
33 g
Saturated Fat
14 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
18 g
Cholesterol
185 mg
Sodium
870 mg
Total Carbohydrates
35 g
Dietary Fiber
1 g
Sugars
1 g
Protein
21 g
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