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A wood board with a pie on top next to white tulips.

Easter Grain Pie (Pastiera Napoletana)

A unique mixture of wheat berry, ricotta cheese, and citrus flavors, Italian Easter Grain Pie, or Pastiera Napoletana, is a must-have traditional Italian Easter dessert.
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Course: Dessert, Desserts, easter pie, tarts and pies
Cuisine: Dessert, Italian
Prep Time: 3 hours
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 12 people
Calories: 383kcal

Ingredients

Dough:

  • 2 Cups All Purpose Flour
  • ½ Cup Powdered Sugar
  • 12 Tbsp Unsalted Butter cold and cubed
  • 1 Egg
  • 1 Tbsp Cold Water
  • Zest of 1 Lemon

Grain Pie Filling:

  • 1 Cup Cooked Wheat soft wheat berry
  • Lemon Rind
  • ½ Cup Whole Milk
  • 2 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
  • 15 oz Ricotta Cheese
  • 1 Cup Granulated Sugar
  • 4 Eggs Separated
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 1 Tbsp Lemon Zest
  • 1 Tbsp Orange Zest
  • ¼ Cup Orange Juice

Instructions

Dough:

  • In a food processor, combine the flour and powdered sugar; pulse to combine
  • Slowly add in cubed butter, pulsing in between each addition to create a crumble
  • Whisk together the egg, cold water, and lemon zest and slowly pour the egg mixture into the food processor while pulsing
  • Continue pulsing until the dough comes together into a ball
  • Remove the dough from the food processor and kneed on the counter until smooth
  • Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 hours or overnight
  • Remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow it to sit out until it is soft enough to roll out
  • Dust the counter top with flour and roll the dough into a 14 inch circle
  • Place the dough into a 10” pie pan or dish
  • Remove the excess dough from the edge of the pie pan
  • Refrigerate the pie dough until ready to bake

Wheat:

  • Boil wheat in water with lemon rind for about 1 hour or until wheat is soft
  • Allow the wheat to cool completely
  • (this can be done the night before)

Filling:

  • In a small sauce pan, combine milk, butter and cooked wheat; bring to a boil
  • Remove from the heat and allow this mixture to cool
  • In a mixer with paddle attachment, cream together the ricotta cheese, granulated sugar, egg yolks, vanilla extract, lemon zest, orange zest and orange juice
  • Add the milk and wheat mixture into the ricotta filling; mix until smooth
  • In a separate mixing bowl with whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites until they are soft peaks
  • Fold the egg whites into the ricotta mixture and fold until fully combined
  • Pour the filling into the unbaked pie shell
  • Bake at 350 degrees F for 45-55 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the center is gelled
  • Remove the pie from the oven and allow it to cool completely
  • Refrigerate until ready to serve
  • Sprinkle powdered sugar over the top

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 383kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 122mg | Sodium: 62mg | Potassium: 102mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 678IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 97mg | Iron: 2mg
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