Wanted: Bread box w/ titanium padlock

That's what I'm in the market for after baking this deliciously evil bread, the fourth in the ongoing "Bread Baker's Apprentice" Challenge.

The object of my dangerous love affair is named Casatiello. And, while I'm no expert, I'm fairly certain this is Italian for "I'm so bloated." Not only is this a rich dough (with about 30 percent butter to flour and a couple of whole eggs), it's then loaded with cured meat and nice, melty cheese. And, even after enjoying a reasonable slice for dinner, I had to stop myself from going back to the loaf several times "just to even it out." (Come on. You know you've done that, too. Stop looking at me like that.)

It's a dessert topping! It's a floor wax! It's the bread that makes its own sandwich! It makes its own sandwich, people!

We've made several breads now in the challenge (including bagels, which rocked!). And I've been baking breads, at least weekly, for more than a year. But I can say without reservation that this is one of the tastiest breads I've ever made. It's rich and complex and moist and you could serve it with breakfast, lunch or dinner. (Or, be like me, and go for the trifecta!)

The best part? Unlike some of Peter Reinhart's recipes in the book, this one is very straight-forward. Easy even. And you can do the whole thing in an afternoon -- no overnight rest required.

You start out by making a sponge with a little flour, yeast and milk or buttermilk. (I wanted that buttermilk tang but didn't have any. So I opted for plain yogurt thinned with a little cream.) Here's the sponge acting all sponge-y:

Then you mix the sponge with the rest of the flour, a bunch of softened butter and a couple of eggs. Here's an action shot. Wheeee:

Reinhart recommends dry-cured Italian salami and provolone for this one, but says you can add whatever meats and cheeses you like, or even keep it vegetarian. I went to the butcher and grabbed some nice smoky Hungarian salami and some provolone. But it'd be fun to try this with bacon and Swiss. Or ham and cheddar. Or sausage and gouda. Or. Or. Or ...

And, since imitation is the sincerest form of, um, copyright infringement?, I decided to steal the wonderful idea from Big Black Dog and put my fresh-baked Casatiello to good use for dinner last night.

It's Eggs in a Nest! Take good bread, use a cutter to make a hole in the center, drop in an egg and fry it up. Be sure to toast up the little bread holes, too. 

Simple but divine, no?

Good. Got it? Now go bake this bread. Just be sure to get yourself a bread box with a sturdy lock.

(Since we're baking our way through the entire "Bread Baker's Apprentice," we're not posting recipes. But the information is out there. If you love bread, though, I recommend picking up a copy of this wonderful book.)