Casatiello for #BreadBakers

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely bread by following our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated after each event on the BreadBakers home page. 

We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. This month I'm hosting and have chosen breads from around the world that are traditional for Easter, Passover, or Springtime.

If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send an email with your blog URL to Stacy at foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com.

Here's our International Easter/Passover/Spring Bread Basket, in alphabetical order...

• Bacci Bread by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Casatiello by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Choereg - Armenian Easter Bread by Chef Mireille's East West Realm
• Colomba Pasquale (Easter Dove Bread) by Cook's Hideout
• Cornish Saffron Easter Bread by Pastry Chef Online
• Folar (Portuguese Easter Bread) by Passion Kneaded
• Hot Cross Buns by En la Cocina de Caro
• Hornazo De Salamanca - Spanish Easter Bread by Ruchik Randhap
• Hungarian Egg Twist by Hostess at Heart
• Hungarian White Bread by Magnolia Days
• Individual Braided Easter Bread by Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
• Italian Easter Bread by La Cocina de Aisha
• Lambropsomo - Greek Easter Bread by Spice Roots
• Lithuanian Easter Raisin Bread by My Catholic Kitchen
• Matzo by A Shaggy Dough Story
• Mennonite Paska by Food Lust People Love
• Pääsiäisleipä - Finnish Easter Bread by Bakers and Best
• Pane di Pasqua - Italian Easter Bread Wreath by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Polish Bobka Easter Bread by Seduction in the Kitchen
• Russian Kulich by That's My Home
• Springtime Sweet Bread by Cooking club
• Strawberry Fritters by Cindy's Recipes and Writings
• Tsoureki (Greek Easter Bread) by Simply Veggies

Casatiello is a traditional Easter bread from Naples and it holds all of the symbolism of faith. The leavened dough, because of the rise, represents the promise of new life; the shape of the bread represents Jesus' crown; and the eggs mean birth, or rebirth.

There are probably as many variations of this as there are Nonne who bake them. My version includes something that I consider culinary fairy dust: fennel pollen. I sprinkled it over the top and selected a salami that has fennel pollen as well. Che squisito!

Dough Ingredients

• 1 T dry active yeast
• 1 T organic granulated sugar
• 2 C warm water
• 5 C flour
• 1/3 C olive oil
• 1 C grated parmesan cheese

Filling Ingredients

• 4 ounces fellen pollen salami, cubed
• 4 ounces cheese, cubed
• freshly ground salt
• freshly ground pepper
• 3 raw eggs, whole
• 1 egg, beaten
• fennel pollen* for sprinkling

Procedure

Place the warm water in a large mixing bowl. Float the yeast and sugar on the top and let bloom until foamy, approximately 10 minutes.  Pour in the olive oil and add the cheese. Mix in the flour until a shaggy dough forms. Cover with a dish towel and let rise in a warm palce for 90 minutes, or until it doubles in size.

Punch down the dough and tear off a large orange-sized piece. Set aside. Butter a bundt dish and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Knead the remaining dough and - on a floured piece of parchment paper - roll dough out into a large rectangle. Scatter the cheese and salami over the surface, leaving about an inch border around the filling. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Starting at the longest side, gently roll the dough into a cylinder and transfer into the prepared bundt pan. Place eggs randomly on the top of the dough, pressing them in to anchor them.  Split the saved piece of dough into 6 equal pieces and roll each piece into a 3" strip.  Use two pieces to form a cross over each egg. Allow to rise for an 1 hour. Beat the remaining egg with a fork and brush it over the surface of the dough.

Bake until golden brown, approximately 45 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes then unmold onto a wire rack. Serve warm, sliced into wedges.

*After a few people have commented that they are unfamiliar with fennel pollen, I decided to add a link to the product that I use and love! This is an affiliate link.