June 10, 2009 - 7:28am
Casatiello = Italian for "delicious"
I'm part of the group baking our way through Reinhart's "Bread Baker's Apprentice."
I haven't been posting here about the other breads we've made so far (they've been great, to be sure). But I'm absolutely in love with the latest creation: Casatiello.
If you're not familiar with it, it's a rich dough studded with cured meat and cheese. And it's out-of-this-world.
I just posted about it and I urge other bakers out there to give this one a try, if you haven't already.
Happy baking!
Heather
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Like you, I enjoyed the experience of preparing this recipe and the delicious results. I finished it early in the day so it was cool enough to enjoy for lunch; and we were not disapointed. The versatillity of this recipe makes it adaptable to almost any type of "filling" your imagination might come up with.
I made the mistake of breaking up the sausage into pieces that were too small to enjoy as meaty bites. I learned that it would have been better to leave the "chopped" pieces about the size of peas, rather than chopping them into smaller bits, and to cook them to the tender stage rather than the crispy stage. I have also come to believe that the amount of meat (Bacon, Sausage, Salami, etc.) in this recipe needs to be increased - I'd suggest a 100% increase for that ingredient. I used a sharp cheddar cheese and it worked nicely.
Serving suggestions:
Sandwiches with lettuce, tomato, onion and avocado. The bread ingredients make meat and cheese unnecessary.
It's also great as a savory french toast (just dip in beaten egg and fry) for breakfast/brunch.
Some of the BBA Challenge participants mention that, when using the coffee can bake method, the loaf is difficult to remove from the can. I didn't use a can but I'm curious as to whether or not using the bag as a baking vessel, with the bag inside the coffee can, is meant to make it easier to remove the loaf. Anyone tried it both ways?
I agree that the amounts of meat and cheese should be increased--but I liked this bread more than I expected to. I did mine in a cake pan and it popped right out.