Sunday, April 13, 2014

Casatiello


Casatiello


Yield: Makes 2 Loaves
Prep Time: 4 1/2 hrs
Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients:

For The Sponge:
5 Teaspoons Active Dry Yeast
1 Tablespoon Sugar
1 1/4 Cups Warm Water
4 Large Egg Yolks
2 1/2 Cups All-purpose Flour
1 1/2 Teaspoons Salt
For The Bread:
4 Large Eggs
1 Teaspoon Salt
About 4 1/2 Cups All-purpose Flour
2 Sticks (1 Cup) Unsalted Butter, Softened
2 Ounces Grated Pecorino Cheese
5 Ounces Diced Fontina or Asiago Cheese
5 Ounces Diced Soppressata or Salami



Directions:

For the sponge, mix together the yeast, sugar and warm water in a bowl, and let rest 10 minutes.
Add the egg yolks and whisk until smooth.
Stir in the flour and salt, and stir until well blended.
Cover with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm spot in your kitchen for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs until blended, then add the salt and a cup of flour.
Mix well, then add the sponge, working it into the egg mixture.
Add the rest of the flour, butter, cheese and meat and mix until you have a shaggy dough.
Dump the mixture onto a lightly floured counter, and knead by hand until the dough is smooth, about 8 minutes, using a little more flour if the dough is too sticky.
Place the dough in a lightly oiled large bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
Let the dough sit in a warm spot until it has doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
Lightly butter two (2 quart) souffle dishes. (or 1 (2 quart) souffle dish and 6 smaller ones as I did)
Divide the dough into two and use your hands to shape into balls and place the balls into the prepared dishes. (the dough should fill the dishes about halfway)
Cover with clean kitchen towels and let rise until the bread rises above the top of the dishes, about 1 1/2 hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Bake the larger loaves for 45 minutes, or until the internal temperature taken using a thermometer reaches 190 degrees F.
If using smaller dishes as I did in my photos, bake for 32 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 190 degrees F.
Let the breads cool for 15 minutes, then run a knife around the edges and turn the breads out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
The bread keeps well if wrapped in plastic wrap for a few days.

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