Traditional Pastiera Napoletana (Italian Easter Pie)
Traditional Pastiera Napoletana is an authentic Italian Easter grain pie made with pasta frolla, creamy ricotta filling, and grano cotto wheat berries simmered in milk and citrus. Flavored with orange zest, vanilla bean, and traditional Millefiori extract, this classic Italian Easter dessert is best served at room temperature after resting overnight.
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 306kcal
Ingredients
Pasta Frolla Dough (Italian Shortcrust Pastry)
- 210 g all purpose flour (1-1/2 cups)
- 50 g sugar (1/4 cup)
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp vanilla bean seeds scraped from half of vanilla bean pod
- grated lemon zest from half of a lemon
- 113 g cold unsalted butter cubed
- 1 whole large egg
- 3 tbs ice water as needed
Grano Cotto Wheat Mixture
- 200 g grano cotto or pre-cooked wheat berries
- 250 g whole milk (1 cup)
- vanilla bean seeds scraped from half of vanilla bean pod
- grated orange zest from half of an orange
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
Ricotta Filling
- 300 g pre-strained ricotta (about 1-1/4 cup)
- 3 whole large eggs at room temperature
- 133 g sugar (2/3 cup)
- 60 g whole milk (1/4 cup)
- grated orange zest from half of an orange
- grated lemon zest from half of a lemon
- 1/2 tsp Millefiori extract or Fiori di Sicilia extract
Instructions
Pasta Frolla Dough
- Pulse flour, sugar, salt, vanilla bean seeds, and lemon zest in a food processor.
- Add cold cubed butter and pulse until coarse bread crumbs form.
- Add egg and pulse to combine.
- Add cold water 1 tablespoon at a time and pulse until the dough holds together.
- Turn onto a lightly floured work surface and form into a disc.
- Divide into 2 pieces, one 2/3 and one 1/3. Shape into discs, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate.
Grano Cotto Wheat Mixture
- Add cooked wheat berries, milk, orange zest, and vanilla bean seeds from the remaining half of the vanilla bean to a saucepan.
- Simmer over medium heat, then reduce to a low flame. Stir with a wooden spoon until thick like porridge.
- Remove from heat and stir in butter.
- Transfer mixture to a bowl and place plastic wrap directly onto the mixture to prevent a skin from forming. Cool completely to room temperature.
Ricotta Filling
- Pass ricotta through a sieve until smooth.
- Whisk whole eggs. Add 120g of beaten egg to the ricotta mixture and reserve the remaining egg for egg wash.
- Add sugar, milk, orange and lemon zest, and Millefiori or Fiori di Sicilia extract. Whisk until smooth.
- Stir in cooled cooked wheat mixture.
Assemble and Bake
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Roll the larger dough piece to 1/4 inch thick and line a pie plate or 8-9" cake pan or springform pan, allowing dough to overhang slightly.
- Dock the bottom with a fork.
- Pour in filling and smooth the top.
- Roll remaining dough and cut into seven 1 inch strips.
- Place 4 strips across, then 3 diagonally to create a lattice top. Trim and pinch edges to remove excess dough.
- Brush the top with egg wash.
- Reduce oven to 350°F and bake 40 to 45 minutes until golden brown with a slight wobble in the center.
- Cool completely to room temperature before serving.
Notes
- Pastiera is best made the day before and allowed to rest before serving.
- Store at cool room temp lightly covered over night or refrigerate and bring to room temperature before serving.
- Store leftover pastiera in the fridge up to 3-4 days or slice, wrap and freeze slices in freezer bags. Thaw slices in the fridge before serving.
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 306kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 178mg | Potassium: 88mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 392IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 97mg | Iron: 1mg