Name: Neapolitan pastiera recipe
Prep time: 60 min
Cook time: 60 min
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 5 1/8 cups flour (600 g); 1 1/2 cup icing sugar (180 g); 4 eggs; 2 tablespoons honey (40 g); 3/4 cup unsalted butter (180 g); 1/8 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon vanilla essence; 19 ounces cooked wheat (540 g); 24 ounces ricotta cheese (680 g); 6 eggs; 2 yolks; 1 3/8 cup milk (330 g); 1 tablespoon honey; 6 ounces candied fruit (170 g); 1 tablespoon unsalted butter; 1 lemon (peel); 1 orange (peel); 2 1/4 cups sugar (450 g)

Neapolitan pastiera recipe. Today I am sharing my recipe for pastiera Napoletana, a classic Italian tradition. Traditionally, this wheat cake is baked on Good Friday. The rest really improves the flavour. It wouldn’t be a real Easter dinner without a Neapolitan pastiera for dessert.

Pastiera is not particularly difficult to make, but it does require certain ingredients such as candied cooked wheat and orange blossom water.

DifficultyEasy
CostCheap
Preparation time1 Hour
Cooking time1 Hour
Serving2 pans
Cooking methodOven
CuisineItalian

Ingredients Neapolitan pastiera recipe

For the pastry ( 2 pans 9 inch )

5¹/₈ cups flour (600 g)

1¹/₂ cup icing sugar (180 g)

4 eggs

2 tablespoons honey (40 g)

³/₄ cup unsalted butter (180 g)

¹/₈ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

For the filling

19 ounces cooked wheat (540 g)

24 ounces ricotta cheese (680 g)

6 eggs

2 yolks

1³/₈ cup milk (330 g)

1 tablespoon honey

6 ounces candied fruit (170 g)

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 lemon (peel)

1 orange (peel)

2¹/₄ cups sugar (450 g)

Tools Neapolitan pastiera recipe

Planetary Mixers

Ovens

Cookers

Graters

Mixers

Steps Neapolitan pastiera recipe

For the pastry

Pour the soft butter into the bowl of the planetary mixer with the leaf blade. Add the icing sugar and honey and run the planetary mixer for 1 minute at speed 2, add the salt and vanilla dissolved in a little water and the eggs and run for another 30 seconds, separating the butter from the walls.

Finally add the sifted flour, run the planetary mixer always with the leaf for another 30 seconds, always detach any dough stuck to the walls of the bowl. Remove from the bowl and bring the shortcrust pastry onto the work surface to form a ball, it does not need to be kneaded.

Wrap it in cling film and leave in the fridge for 1 hour. Remove the pastry from the fridge for 30 minutes before using.

For the filling

In a small saucepan, cook the cooked wheat with the milk and the tablespoon of butter for 20 minutes, switch off and blend with an immersion blender.

Beat the eggs with the sugar using an electric whisk for ten minutes, they should become light and frothy.

Add the ricotta and continue to whisk.

Add the honey and grated citrus peel. Finally, add the cold cooked wheat and candied fruit.

Roll out the shortcrust pastry with a rolling pin (this will make two 24 cm pastries) and keep a large piece for the strips to put on top. Place the pastry in a buttered and floured cake tin or covered with baking paper.

Add the filling and place the strips formed with the shortcrust pastry kept aside on top.

Bake in a static oven at 350°F for about 1 hour. Try the toothpick test, if it is wet cook for a few more minutes. As soon as it is cooked, let it cool and sprinkle with icing sugar.