Neapolitan casatiello, grandma’s recipe. The original Neapolitan casatiello is a Neapolitan delicacy made with leavened dough enriched with cured meats and finished with the unmistakable fresh eggs embedded on the surface. A specialty that, like the pastiera, the shortcrust sfogliatella and the riccia sfogliatella, the mostaccioli, and many other treats, is part of the immense culinary heritage of Naples and Campania. In short, the savory Neapolitan casatiello is a rustic preparation that is the protagonist of the Easter menu and now often also of the Christmas menu. Naturally every family has a version it considers unique and unrivaled; the only essential thing to make a casatiello following grandma’s recipe is to be generous with its filling of cured meats and cheeses. What are the origins of the casatiello? Most likely, the name casatiello derives from the Latin word caseus, meaning cheese, which becomes “cacio”, a very important ingredient of the original Neapolitan casatiello. The basic dough of the casatiello is a bread dough enriched with cheeses, cured meats, lard and cracklings and requires two risings: an initial rise and another after adding the filling ingredients and placing it in a ring pan, where it is also decorated with eggs arranged in a circle and secured with a cross of dough to represent the crown of thorns of Jesus.

Tradition dictates that the casatiello is eaten on Holy Saturday and never before that day, then finished over the following days through Easter Monday.

The main difference between casatiello and the Neapolitan tortano, another famous Neapolitan savory, is that the tortano contains hard-boiled eggs inside the dough, while the casatiello has raw eggs placed on top of the dough and secured with a dough cross. Now let’s go to the kitchen and discover grandma’s recipe for Neapolitan casatiello. If you want to stay updated on my recipes you can follow my Facebook page and my Instagram profile. Also, in my book “La Sicilia è in tavola” you’ll find many more recipes!

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Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Medium
Rest time: 3 Hours 30 Minutes
Preparation time: 30 Minutes
Portions: 12
Cooking methods: Oven
Cuisine: Italian
Seasonality: All seasons

Ingredients to make savory Neapolitan casatiello

4 3/4 cups Type 0 flour
1 2/3 cups milk (warm for a softer casatiello, or warm water)
1 1/3 tsp salt
1 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (or 1/2 oz fresh yeast (about 16 g))
2 tsp sugar
2/3 cup lard
9 oz provolone (sweet)
5 oz pecorino (fresh or caciocavallo)
1 1/2 oz pecorino (aged, grated)
to taste black pepper
9 oz smoked scamorza
9 oz cooked ham (diced)
7 oz pancetta (smoked, preferably peppered)
7 oz Neapolitan salami
4 eggs (or 5)
to taste milk (for finishing (brushing))

Tools

Bowl
Bundt pan 11-12 in
Cutting board
Pastry brush

How to make Neapolitan casatiello

Pour the flour into a bowl, add the yeast and sugar, pour in half of the milk, mix and add the salt. Pour in the remaining liquid, mix roughly with a spoon and set aside for 20 minutes.
Turn the dough out onto the work surface and knead it until it becomes elastic.
Spread the dough, add the lard and begin working it for a long time: the dough will first tear, then become consistent. Once you have a smooth, elastic and homogeneous mass, place it in a warm spot to rise for about 3-4 hours or until doubled in size.
When the dough has risen, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, set aside about 5 oz and stretch the rest by pulling it with your hands without piercing it, until you reach the size of a square about 16×16 in.
Cut all the cured meats and cheeses into cubes.
Distribute the grated cheese, a generous sprinkle of black pepper and all the other ingredients cut into small cubes over the dough sheet. Roll it up to form a long cylinder.
Place the cylinder into a buttered bundt pan and decorate with the raw eggs (well rinsed and dried), pressing them vertically into the dough and securing them with a cross of dough. Let rise again in a warm place for about 1 hour, brush with milk and bake for 75 minutes at 338°F in a conventional (static) oven.
Remove from the oven and let cool at least 35 minutes before unmolding, then place on a rack and let cool completely.
The Neapolitan casatiello keeps well covered with plastic wrap for 2-3 days at room temperature in a cool, dry place (as long as it’s not too hot).