Tortano/Casatiello Napoletano (Lard Bread)
This bread is one of the foods that make it feel like Easter for me and my family. This bread is a process of preparation, starting from making homemade lard and Frittole, which are fried pork bits that come from the process of making lard. It is a labor of love that my Nonna did every year, that was passed down to my mother and now I carry on that tradition with my family. Casatiello is made in different ways, some families stuff it with salami and cheeses. My family makes it this way which is specific to where my parents are from on the Amalfi Coast.
Tortano (Easter Lard Bread)
Ingredients
- 650 g Bread Flour
- 10 g Salt
- 200 g Warm Water
- 3 Eggs, room temp
- 90 g Lard
- 7 g Active Dry Yeast
- Pepper to taste
- Frittole (pork bits) or Cured meats of choice for sprinkling inside the dough
- 4-6 oz Sharp Provolone, cubed
Instructions
- Mix flour, salt and pepper in the bowl of a stand mixer.
- In a separate bowl, add warm water, yeast and a tsp of sugar. Let the mixture sit for 10 mins until foamy.
- Add the yeast mixture to the flour. Using the dough hook, begin to mix the dough. Add the eggs and lard and mix until the dough comes together and releases from the sides of the bowl.
- Grease the bowl and coat the dough. Cover and let it rise until it doubles in size, 1-2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 425F.
- Punch the dough down, cut into 2 pieces. Optional: Cut a small piece for decorations
- Roll out each piece to an approximate 5in x 16in rectangle. Sprinkle with frittole or cured meats of choice. Roll up the dough. Do the same with the other piece of dough. Roll and stretch the dough out to about the 3 feet long. Twist the two pieces onto each other.
- Grease a 10in/11in bundt pan (not fluted) with lard. Place the dough into the pan. Add 3-4 raw eggs nestled in between the twist. Cover and let it rise to the rim of the pan, 1-2 hours.
- Brush with egg wash and bake at 425F for 30-40m mins. Remove from pan and place on a wire rack immediately to ensure the crust stays crisp.
