Casatiello Napoletano

First make a pre-dough with 95 g flour (taken from the total), 100 g water (taken from the total) and the yeast. Using a planetary mixer or electric whips, mix the ingredients until smooth and lump-free.

Then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise at a temperature of 26°- 28°C (78,8°-82,4°F) until doubled. It will take about 30 to 40 minutes.

Then pour in the pre-risen dough, flour and water.

Give it a few turns with the planetary mixer or kneading machine; or knead by hand. The dough will be quite firm. Let work at medium-high speed until the mixture no longer sticks to the basket but clings to the leaf (K whisk).

Add the soft lard at room temperature in small doses. (Do not add the fat all at once).

Then give the mixer a few turns (first medium speed then high speed) and only when the first bits of lard have been fully absorbed, turn off the machine, turn the dough upside down, take it in your hands, round it out by spinning it between your hands or on the work surface giving it a regular spherical shape (this gives the dough a regular growth during rising): bring the excess dough down to make a smooth ball-shaped surface.

The dough, you will feel it in your hands, already after the first bits of lard are introduced, will feel softer and more relaxed and will begin to hold in gluten. Then put the dough back into the planetary mixer, insert a few more pieces of lard and repeat the kneading and round it out by spinning it between your hands operation until the fat is used up. Add the salt, let it work until it is completely absorbed (a few seconds) and add the pepper, let it be completely absorbed into the dough.

Replace the k whisk with the hook whisk and complete the stringing phase by giving the last few turns at high speed, alternating pauses in which you will tip the dough. The final dough is ready when it is well strung (pulling and not breaking) smooth and shiny and does not stick to the walls of the basket. (It will take 10 to 20 minutes depending on the tool you are using).

For perfect leavening follow these tips now. Form a ball using the method explained above and grease a fairly large bowl with lard (I cleaned out the one in the planetary mixer) seal the bowl with foil and place the loaf to rise at a temperature of 26° to 28° (78,8°-82,4°F) away from drafts (I prefer the oven turned off recently at 50°C - 122°F).

Within about 3 h, the dough will have tripled in volume :

Finally break the rise and tip the dough directly onto a fairly large work surface. With the fingers of your hands, gently spread the ends of the inverted dough and fold into a portfolio: right flap first and left flap on top.

Cut off from the bottom end a small piece of dough (about 30 g) form into a ball and set aside. It will be used to make the stripes on the eggs. Let the dough rest 30 minutes

Use a fairly long wooden rolling pin and begin rolling out the folded dough, very gently, stretching it forward. This operation should be done gently, an incisive gesture of going towards each other and little return. Until you get a fairly long and wide sheet about 25 to 30 cm thick, 1 cm thick:

1)First lay half of the grated pecorino cheese all over the pastry sheet.

2)Add selected cold cuts and cheeses that you have previously taken out of the refrigerator and cut into cubes

3) Sprinkle with a generous grinding of pepper (preferably freshly ground)

4) Top with the remaining grated pecorino cheese:

Roll, not too tightly, starting with the wide side, the one on your right until you get a 'sausage'. Take care to seal the closure tightly, making it catch on the bottom.

Grease a bundt pan with a layer of lard.

Alternatively, you can use any bundt pan mold, even one with an opening bottom.

Lay the 'sausage' inside.

Roll out the dough ball set aside, to a thickness of about 4 mm or so and cut small strips of 5-6 mm each with a sharp knife. Calculate 2 strips for each egg you intend to lay on your yeast.

Lay the eggs only lightly in the donut, just to keep them firm, an equal distance apart, and decorate them by forming a cross, with the strips of dough previously made. One trick to get the crosses perfect is to stick bits of leftover strips under the egg and then lay the egg on top.

At this point proceed with the last rising, again oven turned off at a temperature of 26° to 28°C (78,8°-82,4°F) for about 2 h - 2 h ½ until your Casatiello has doubled its volume, looks nice and puffy and has reached the edge of the pan.

Brush now the surface with egg yolk and milk at room temperature:

Heat the oven to 200°C (392°F) and then lower it to 180°C (356°F) and bake your Casatiello Napoletano for about 45 minutes. Prefer a static oven and place the Casatiello in the medium-low part of the oven. Check the baking from time to time ( not before 30 minutes) and always do the toothpick test before taking it out. Baking may change by a few minutes depending on the oven you use.

Another little trick is to lightly, without any pressure after the 30 minutes baking time, lay a sheet of aluminum foil on the surface of your rustic, so that the egg decorations do not burn.

Bake. Let cool in baking dish for at least 1 h. I recommend enjoying it cold. a few hours apart. Casatiello needs to "settle" and in order to cut the slice perfectly it needs some cooling. Your savory Neapolitan Casatiello, prepared according to the Original Recipe is then ready to be enjoyed.

Casatiello Napoletano keeps perfectly 3 days sealed in a plastic food bag so that it does not lose its fragrance. You can enjoy it cold or slightly warmed in the oven at 100°C - 212°F (or in the microwave) for a few minutes. It will turn out fluffy and soft.

If it leftovers, don't worry, you can also freeze your Casatiello, I have done it more than once. Just take it out and let it thaw naturally. A few minutes in the oven and it will be delicious.