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Italian Easter Pie

Course: Breakfast
Keyword: All Things Baking, Holiday Favorites

Materials

For the Crust:

  • 12 tablespoons Grassland unsalted butter cubed
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 7 tablespoons water

For the Filling:

  • 8 oz sweet Italian sausage
  • 15 oz container ricotta cheese
  • 8 oz mozzarella cheese cubed
  • 8 oz salami cubed
  • 8 oz hot capicola cubed
  • 8 oz smoked ham cubed
  • 2 oz thinly sliced prosciutto
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 cup Parmesan cheese finely shredded
  • teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper

Instructions

For the Crust:

  • For crust, combine flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until mixed well. Add butter and egg; pulse until combined. Add water to the dough, and pulse until dough begins to form a ball.
  • Turn dough out onto a floured surface and divide in half. Shape into two flat disks. Wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  • Preheat the oven to 350°. Unwrap 1 disk of dough on a lightly floured surface. Roll to a 16-inch circle, and carefully fit into a 9-inch springform pan, leaving a 1-inch overhang. Refrigerate until ready to use.

For the Filling:

  • For the filling, cook Italian sausage in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, breaking up sausage with a spoon until cooked through. Transfer sausage to a plate and let cool. Whisk ricotta, mozzarella, pepper, and 3 of the eggs in a large bowl. Stir in salami, capicola, and ham.
  • Add prosciutto slices in the bottom of the prepared dough-lined pan. Spread ricotta mixture over prosciutto. Scatter browned sausage over ricotta mixture, pressing lightly into an even layer. Top with Parmesan.
  • Unwrap and roll the remaining disk of dough into a 12-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Place over filling. Trim so that both disks are even with one another, and pinch top and bottom firmly together to seal.
  • Beat remaining egg and brush over top of pie. Cut 4 vents in the top layer of dough in a circular pattern. Place pie on a rimmed baking sheet, and bake for one hour, or until pie crust is golden brown.
  • Bake until a thermometer inserted in the center of the pie says 150°F, about 30 more minutes.
  • Transfer pie to a wire rack, and let cool. Leave pie to set for 30-45 minutes.