The MEATLOAF IN A LOAF PAN is a time-honored classic of home cooking, ideal for festive tables, particularly at Easter. Made with herb-flavored ground meat, this meatloaf encloses a soft center of hard-boiled eggs, giving a lovely effect to every slice.
Baking it in a loaf pan — that is, a plumcake tin — helps keep a compact shape that’s perfect for slicing and makes the dish elegant in its simplicity. The result? A combination of authentic flavors and comforting textures that pleases both adults and children.
Great served hot with a side of vegetables or cold in slices, perhaps in a rustic sandwich for an Easter Monday picnic. A staple on Sunday tables, it evokes home, tradition, and affection.
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 3 Hours
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Cooking time: 45 Minutes
- Portions: 6Servings
- Cooking methods: Boiling, Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Easter, All seasons
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups re-milled durum wheat semolina
- 1 cup water (at room temperature)
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 3/4 tsp active dry yeast
- 2 tsp wildflower honey
- 1 1/3 tsp salt
- 1 lb 12 oz ground beef
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 1 cup bread crumb/soft bread interior (soaked in milk)
- 4 eggs (hard-boiled)
- 1 bunch parsley
- to taste salt
- to taste black pepper
- to taste extra-virgin olive oil
- to taste sesame seeds
You will need for the meatloaf in a loaf pan
- 2 Bowls
- 1 Loaf pan (plumcake pan)
- 1 Work surface
- 1 Rolling pin
- 1 Pastry brush
Preparation: meatloaf in a loaf pan
In a bowl place the room-temperature water, honey, oil and the dehydrated yeast. Mix everything together and gradually incorporate the semolina.
Combine all ingredients, add the salt and knead the dough for 10 minutes until smooth and homogeneous.
If using a stand mixer, use the spiral hook.
Put the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let it rise for 2 hours or until doubled.Place the eggs in a small saucepan, cover with cold water and, from the moment the water boils, cook for 8 minutes. Drain and run under cold water to cool quickly. Peel and let them cool completely.
Soak the bread crumb/bread interior in milk. In a large bowl put the ground meat, two eggs, the soaked and squeezed bread, the Parmigiano, salt, pepper and finely chopped parsley. Mix all ingredients well.
After the dough has risen, roll the dough out to a thickness of about 1/6 inch (4 mm). Oil a loaf pan and line it with the dough.
Place the meat filling in the center, create a central groove lengthwise, and position the 4 hard-boiled eggs inside. Fill the remaining spaces with the leftover meat mixture.
Close the roll with the remaining dough and the dough overlapping the edges. Seal the ends and decorate the surface with a braid made from the leftover dough. Cover again with plastic wrap and let rise for another 30-40 minutes in a turned-off oven with the light on.
Brush the surface with oil and decorate with sesame seeds.Bake in a preheated, conventional oven at 375°F for about 45 minutes.
When cooked, remove the meatloaf from the oven, let it cool slightly and unmold it.
Serve the meatloaf in slices accompanied by a salad or roasted potatoes.
Storage
In the refrigerator
After cooking and once completely cooled, wrap the meatloaf in plastic wrap or place it in an airtight container.
It keeps in the fridge for about 3 days.
It’s best to slice it only at the time of serving to avoid drying out.
In the freezer
It’s best to freeze it already cooked. You can freeze it whole or in slices (more practical for portioning later).
Wrap it well in plastic wrap and then place it in a freezer bag.
It keeps for about 2 months.
