While I was at pastry school in Italy, we had two weeks dedicated to learning all about bread. Being a girl who loves sugar, I was not particularly interested in bread or the process behind making it. Over the course of the two weeks, we had created 20 different bread recipes, but one stood out as the best: Castiello. It was stuffed full of salami, 4 different cheeses and an absurd amount of butter. It was exactly what you'd expect an Italian Holiday bread to be. 

This recipe was slightly modified from the original as I substituted the salami for left over charcuterie meats and instead of 4 types of cheese I used two (pecorino and provolone). 

INGREDIENTS

Sponge 

• 12g Yeast 
• 1+3 tsp Sugar
• 300g Warm Water
• 4 Egg Yolks
• 300g Flour
• 1 1/4 tsp Salt

Dough

• 4 Eggs
• 120g Sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp Salt 
• 550g Flour
• 250g Butter (Softened) 
• 60g Pecorino Romano Cheese (Shredded)
• 60g Parmesan (Shredded)
• 30g Gruyere (Shredded)
• 60g Provolone (Cubbed)
• 100g Salami (Chopped Small)
• 1 tsp Pepper
• Egg White for Glazing

DIRECTIONS

Sponge

1. Stir yeast and 1 tsp of sugar into warm water. Let stand for 10 minutes until foamy. 
2. Add the egg yolks and 3 tsp of sugar. Stir until smooth. 
3. Add flour and salt in 2 parts. 
4. Knead for 3-4 minutes until a soft dough forms. 
5. Cover and let rise for 1 hour. 

Dough

1. Beat eggs, sugar and salt in a mixer with the paddle attachment. 
2. Add the sponge and mix until blended. 
3. With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour. Once combined add in the softened butter until a rough dough is formed. 
4. Keep the mixer on low and sprinkle in the pecorino, parmesan and gruyere cheeses. 
5. Change to a dough hook and mix for 3-4 minutes. Dough should be elastic and fairly smooth. 
6. Cover and let rise for 1.5 hours. It should triple in size. 
7. Roll into a rectangle. Sprinkle in half of the provolone, salami and pepper. 
8. Fold into 1/3's, roll out and repeat. 
9. Gently knead to incorporate the cheese and salami further. 
10. Cut in half and shape each into a ball and place into a buttered loaf pan. 
11. Cover with towel and let rise for 1.5 hours. 
12. Brush the top of the bread with egg whites and bake at 400°F for 40mins until golden brown. 

PRINT THE RECIPE HERE

This recipe was adapted from "The Italian Baker" by Carol Field.