Bread #5 - Casatiello

Casatiello: An Exotic Name for a Dramatic Loaf

When I tasted this bread, I could not believe how good it was. It was such a strange loaf, I thought, when I first read the ingredients. In fact, I thought it was just a variation of the brioche, and so I skipped right over it, and went directly to the challah. Once I realized my faux pas, however, I quickly started to mix the dough for the casatiello. This bread was so foreign to me. In all my years of bread baking, I'd never heard of this exotic loaf, which appears to be the first cousin of the French brioche.

The dough was absolutely fabulous to work with, forming an elastic dough without much effort. This bread had a dramatic rise; quite stunning, actually, both in the bowl and in the oven. But the taste! Ah, the taste! That's what it's all about, isn't it?

Since I don't eat red meat, I substituted turkey bacon for the salami, and used feta cheese. The crumb was tender without being cakey; it was salty, but did not taste like "salt bread," and when spread with peach apricot jam, had that incredible sweet/salty flavor that so many of us crave.

I'll be making this one often!

Ready for the Last Rise.

A Well-Risen Loaf

In the Oven - High Drama!

Right Out of the Oven

What a Beauty!

Can't You Just Taste the Crumb?

Flecks of Turkey Bacon and Feta