Pastiera Napoletana
wheat, ricotta, orange blossom — needs a day to settle
- Prep
- 1h 30m
- Cook
- 1h 15m
- Rest
- 24h
- Total
- 2h 45m
- Serves
- 12
- Difficulty
- Hard
- Rating
- 4.9 / 5 (231 ratings)
Made once a year at Easter. The key ingredient is grano cotto (pre-cooked wheat, sold in jars at Italian delis). There are a lot of moving parts but none of it is technically difficult. It needs at least a full day to rest after baking, ideally two. It gets noticeably better as it sits.
Ingredients
For 12 servings.
Pasta frolla
- 400 g 00 flour
- 200 g cold butter, cubed
- 150 g caster sugar
- 2 pcs eggs
- 1 pc egg yolk
- 1 pc lemon, zest only
- a pinch salt
Filling
- 400 g grano cotto (pre-cooked wheat), drained (one 580g jar — don't use dried wheat, it needs 3 days of soaking)
- 200 ml whole milk
- 20 g butter
- 1 pc lemon, zest only
- 1 pc orange, zest only
- 500 g sheep's milk ricotta (or cow's milk)
- 400 g caster sugar
- 5 pcs eggs
- 2 pcs egg yolks
- 80 g candied citrus peel (cedro and orange)
- 30 ml orange flower water
- 0.5 tsp cinnamon, ground
To finish
- to dust icing sugar
Method
-
1. Soften the wheat
Put the drained grano cotto in a small saucepan with the milk, butter, and a strip of lemon zest. Cook on low for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the wheat has absorbed the milk and looks creamy. Remove the zest strip and leave to cool completely.
This step removes any tinned taste from the grano cotto and makes the filling smoother. Worth doing even if shortcuts online suggest skipping it.
-
2. Make the pasta frolla
Rub the cold butter into the flour with your fingertips until it looks like coarse sand. Add the sugar, lemon zest, salt, eggs, and yolk. Bring together into a dough without overworking it. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for at least an hour.
If the dough is crumbly, add a teaspoon of cold water. Overworked shortcrust shrinks in the oven.
-
3. Make the filling
Push the ricotta through a sieve into a large bowl. Add the sugar and mix well. Add the eggs and yolks one at a time. Stir in the cooled wheat, both zests, candied peel, orange flower water, and cinnamon. Mix until smooth.
Sieving the ricotta makes a big difference to the final texture. Don't skip it.
-
4. Assemble
Preheat the oven to 170°C (340°F). Grease a 26cm springform tin. Take two thirds of the dough and press it into the base and up the sides to about 3cm. Pour in the filling. Roll the remaining dough and cut strips for the lattice top.
The dough is delicate. If it tears, press it back together. The lattice doesn't need to be perfect.
-
5. Bake
Bake for 70 to 75 minutes until the filling is set and the lattice is deep golden. There'll be a slight wobble in the centre when you take it out. Leave to cool completely in the tin.
Don't open the oven in the first 50 minutes. Temperature drops crack the filling.
-
6. Rest
Leave at room temperature, loosely covered, for at least 24 hours before cutting. Don't refrigerate. Dust with icing sugar just before serving.
Two days is better than one. The filling sets fully and the flavours come together. This isn't optional waiting — it genuinely tastes different after a day.
Nutrition per serving
- 480 kcal
- Protein: 11g
- Carbs: 68g
- Fat: 18g
A bit of history
Pastiera has been made in Naples for centuries. Written references go back to the 1600s, though it almost certainly predates those. The combination of wheat and ricotta has roots in older spring rituals that were absorbed into the Catholic Easter tradition over time.
The version with orange flower water and candied citrus became standard sometime in the 18th or 19th century. It's made strictly at Easter in Neapolitan households — Holy Thursday is the traditional day to make it, so it's ready by Sunday. There's a story about Queen Maria Teresa of Savoy supposedly smiling in public for the first time after eating it, earning pastiera the nickname 'the pastry that makes you smile.' Probably not true, but a good story.