Casatiello Napoletano - Italian Stuffed Easter Bread

Casatiello is a delicious soft Italian Easter bread, stuffed with salami and cheese and topped with whole eggs - perfect for your Easter table!

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 1

Rising Time 6

Servings people

Calories 835kcal

Measure out the lukewarm water in a measuring cup, and add the yeast, and stir.
Let the yeast bloom (rise to the top of the water), about 5-10 minutes
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, add the water/yeast mixture.
Add the lard. Start mixing with the dough hook on low speed and start adding the flour slowly.
Once all the flour is added, add the salt and pepper.
Continue mixing for 10 minutes on medium speed.
Cover the bowl with a tea towel. Place in the oven with the light on to rise for 3 hours.

Remove a small piece of dough from the larger piece and set it aside. Roll out the dough on a flat floured surface, into a square shape, about 19x19 inches.
Cover the surface of the dough with the salami and cheese.
Roll the dough up, tightening is as much as possible.
Place the rolled up dough, so that the ends meet, into a ring pan or bundt pan that has been greased with lard.
Cover again and place in the oven to rise with the light on for 3 hours.

Preheat oven to 350F. Roll out and cut the dough that was set aside into thin strips. Place 3 (or 4) eggs equally distanced on top of the casatiello.
Place two strips on top of each egg, forming a cross.
Beat one egg in a small bowl and brush the egg over the surface of the casatiello.
Bake in the oven for approximately one hour.
Remove from the oven and let cool. Remove from the pan, and slice. Enjoy!

The amount of filling (400g of each salami and cheese) will make the casatiello very full. If you prefer less filling, you can decrease the amount of filling.
This recipe uses salami, pecorino and provolone for the filling - but you can use whatever meats and cheeses you like - prosciutto, mortadella etc