11/11/2010 - Casatiello

Casatiello is a rich Italian bread packed with cheese and bits of meat. Yum! J4 has been looking forward to this formula and picked up a block of provolone at the store last week to hurry me along. I used summer sausage for the meat since that's what I had in the house, but according to BBA salami is the preferred addition.

This is a quick one day formula that was ready in time for lunch. I mixed some bread flour, yeast, and warm milk to make the sponge, which foamed for about an hour. Meanwhile I diced up that summer sausage and lightly sautéed it, and J4 grated the provolone. To make the dough, I stirred together the remaining flour, salt, and sugar, and then mixed in the sponge and a couple of eggs. Next a good amount of butter is worked in, followed by the meat and finally the cheese. The dough was soft and very tacky; even dusting with flour frequently, it was a bit of a challenge to get everything evenly distributed without leaving half of the dough stuck to the counter. I let the dough rise to almost double, shaped and panned two loaves, proofed them, and baked them. My house smelled heavenly.

This bread was excellent. It was flaky and rich, but not sickeningly so like brioche. We loved the meat and cheese in it, although next time I'd like to plan ahead and get some salami. We passes along a loaf to friends and got rave reviews from them as well. This one's a keeper!