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Pastiera Napoletana, an Italian Easter pie on a plate with candied oranges in the background
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Pastiera Napoletana: The Traditional Italian Easter Dessert

Pastiera Napoletana is the king of Italian Easter desserts. It is a type of pie made with a sweet shortcrust pastry, and filled with a traditional blend of wheatberries, ricotta, cinnamon, orange blossom water, and lemon and vanilla flavors. This pie tastes better as it sits for a few days, so feel free to make it well in advance of your big Easter celebration day! 
Course Dessert
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 50 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 10 minutes
Servings 12 people
Calories 534kcal
Author Pina Bresciani

Ingredients

For the pasta frolla (shortcrust dough):

  • 3.5 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 ¼ cup butter unsalted, at room temperature
  • zest of one lemon (about 1 tbsp)

For the filling:

  • 2 cups grano cotto (cooked wheatberries)
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 lemon zested
  • 2 tablespoon butter
  • 1.5 cups ricotta
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ⅓ cup candied orange peels diced into small pieces
  • ⅓ cup candied citron or candied lemon peel
  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon fior d'arancio (orange blossom water)
  • 1 vanilla bean, seeded 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • extra powdered sugar for dusting

Instructions

Make the pasta frolla (shortcrust pastry):

  • In bowl of a KitcheAid mixer, stir together flour, sugar, and baking powder. 
  • Fit the mixer with the paddle attachment, and add the eggs, egg yolk, butter and lemon zest. 
  • Beat the ingredients together in the mixer until the dough starts to come together, until it almost forms a ball, about 2-3 minutes.
  • On a smooth surface, very gently form the dough into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for one hour. 

Make the filling:

  • Add the grano cotto, milk, lemon zest and butter to a medium sized pot. 
  • Cook on medium heat, stirring constantly so that the mixture doesn't stick to the pot. Cook until mixture is dense and creamy, about 20 minutes. Let it cool. 
  • If ricotta has a lot of moisture to it, drain it of the excess moisture with a colander. 
  • In a large bowl, mix ricotta, eggs and sugar with a wooden spoon until all ingredients are incorporated together. 
  • Add grano cotto mixture to the ricotta mixture. Add candied oranges, cinnamon, fior d'arancio, and vanilla bean seeds. Mix well. 

Assemble the pastiera:

  • Remove dough from the fridge, and cut off ¼ of the dough for the lattice top. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough a couple of times to soften it. Then roll it out to ¼ inch thick.
  • Add the dough to a springform pan, cut and remove any overhang. Fill with the ricotta/grano cotto mixture. 
  • Decorate the pastiera with a lattice top with the remaining ¼ of the dough. Fold the edges of the dough over the lattices. 
  • Place in a preheated 325°F oven. Bake for 80-100 minutes, or until edges of the pastiera are golden brown. 
  • Top with extra powdered sugar. 

Video

Notes

  • Use a metal pie dish or springform pan to make your pastiera. The pastiera crust will come out better this way. Do not use a glass dish, or anything but metal.
  • This recipe was made in a 9 inch springform pan, so the filling amounts are suited to a pan of this size.

Nutrition

Calories: 534kcal | Carbohydrates: 74g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 135mg | Sodium: 189mg | Potassium: 138mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 31g | Vitamin A: 700IU | Vitamin C: 4.8mg | Calcium: 122mg | Iron: 2.8mg