Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups warm water

• 2 ¼ teaspoons yeast

• 4 cups flour, plus more for kneading

• 1 teaspoon salt

• ½ cup shortening/lard

• 1 cup salami, cut into 1 cm cubes

• 1 cup provolone cheese, cut into 1 cm cubes

• 1 cup pecorino romano cheese, cut into 1 cm cubes

• Black pepper

• 4 eggs

Steps

1. In a stand mixer bowl combine 1 ½ cups warm water, 2 ¼ teaspoons yeast, 4 cups flour, and 1 teaspoon salt

2. Affix the dough hook attachment to the mixer and mix everything together

3. As the dough is coming together, gradually add ½ cup of shortening or lard, mixing in between each addition until thoroughly combined and smooth

4. After the lard has been incorporated, scrape the dough all together 

5. Transfer the dough to a large greased bowl

6. Cover the bowl and allow the dough to rise for 1 to 2 hours or until doubled in size

7. While the dough is rising, chop up 1 cups worth of salami into small 1 centimeter size cubes, 1 cups worth of provolone cheese into 1 centimeter size cubes, and 1 cups worth of pecorino romano cheese into 1 centimeter size cubes

8. Uncover the bowl the reveal the risen dough and then punch down in the center of the dough to deflate

9. Spread some flour out on the counter and turn out the dough, sprinkling more flour on top of the dough

10. Use a floured rolling pin to roll out the dough into a rectangle that is at least 10 inches wide, 16 inches long, and 1 centimeter thick

11. Trim the uneven edges of the rectangle away and keep the leftover dough to the side

12. Freshly crack some black pepper all over the trimmed dough rectangle 

13. Spread the cubed salami and cheese all over the top of the dough leaving a 1 inch border around the sides

14. Starting at the longer end of the rectangle, carefully roll the dough together horizontally until you form a nice log, keeping the seam edge on the bottom 

15. Carefully transfer the dough log into a greased 9 inch round tube pan

16. Pinch the ends of the dough together to seal the bread and push down on the thicker parts of the dough to evenly distribute it through the pan

17. Combine the leftover dough strips into a flat piece and cut into 8 even thin slices

18. Place 4 raw eggs on top of the bread arranged 90 degrees away from each other, pushing the eggs down slightly to ensure they stay on top of the bread

19. Then enclose each egg with 2 pieces of the dough strips, laying the strips over the egg like a cross and pushing the ends of the strips into the rest of the bread

20. Cover the bread and allow it to rise again for 1 hour

21. After an hour, uncover the bread and bake it in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 hour

22. Then remove the bread from the oven when the top is golden brown

23. Allow the bread to cool before removing it from the tube pan

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