Easter Pie: a tradition worth savoring.
I’ve no doubt baked many hundreds of different recipes in the 30+ years I’ve been baking on my own. But there are certain ones that I bake over and over again—fudge birthday cake, almond puff loaf, whole wheat pain de mie, and a host of others that never fail to win accolades from whatever audience enjoys them.
Then there are the recipes I make over and over again… but only once a year. Dark chocolate buttercrunch at Christmas. Some version of pineapple upside-down cake (the particular recipe varies from year to year) on my husband’s birthday. Pistachio cookies for St. Patrick’s Day; and Easter Pie, which today I made for the 32nd time. (I know it’s 32 times because we were married in 1976 and I’ve made it every Easter since, without fail.)
Easter pie isn’t sweet. And it’s not made with a traditional piecrust. It’s a pie in the same sense that “pizza pie” is pie; it has a top and bottom crust with filling in between. It’s not assertively flavored; it’s not over-the-top handsome. It’s more like a comfortable old shoe, something that’s beloved by sheer dint of its familiarity. Easter pie, in our house, is true comfort food.
I got this recipe from my grandma-in-law, not long before she passed away over 25 years ago. A typical Italian grandma, she didn’t have anything written down, and scoffed when I asked her if she had a recipe. But between watching her, then watching my mother-in-law (her daughter), I learned. And I wrote down the recipe. Because this is a recipe that needs to get passed along. Perhaps to my son, who’s gradually learning to cook now that he’s out on his own. Perhaps to his wife, if he finds one someday. But certainly to anyone browsing through the recipe archive on the King Arthur Flour Web site, where this recipe now lives.
So, while I realize it’s late in the game for you to be reading an Easter recipe now, I wanted to share it with you anyway. There’s always next year… and the year after… and the 30 or 40 or 50 years after that. Because some recipes truly do stand the test of time. And Easter pie is one of them.
First, the dough for the crust. Notice how rough it is when you first start to knead…
…and how nicely it smooths out. While the dough is rising, make the filling.
The filling is a combination of a few simple ingredients: eggs (both raw and hardboiled), cheese (both ricotta and Parmesan), ham, and fresh parsley.
The hardboiled eggs and ham should be coarsely chopped; a food processor works well here.
Mix the ham and eggs with the remaining filling ingredients.
The chunky mixture is fairly liquid; that’s OK.
Deflate the risen dough, and divide it into four pieces; you’re making two pies, and each needs a top and bottom crust. Roll out one of the pieces of dough, and fit it into a lightly greased 12” flat pizza pan. Or simply place it on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet.
Next, spread half the filling on the bottom crust, then roll out another piece of dough, and place it on top. (I got ahead of myself here and put the top crust on before I’d photographed the part about spreading the filling. Sorry!)
Grab the center of the crust, pull up, and snip with a pair of scissors to make a small (about 1”) hole, for steam to escape.
Next, mix an egg yolk with sugar, and spread this paste over the crust. Your fingers are the best tool for this (I mean, how often did you ever see your grandma use a pastry brush, right?) This topping will give the crust a golden brown, crackly finish whose slight sweetness goes well with the saltiness of the ham.
Let the pies rest while you preheat your oven to 350°F, then put them in to bake.
Just about 30 minutes later—Easter pie! In fact, TWO Easter pies, one for you, and one to share.
Thin bottom crust, thin layer of filling, thin top crust. Others make their Easter pies thicker, but this is the way my husband’s grandma did hers, so this is the way I do mine.
Serve the pie cut in wedges. It’s traditionally NOT served warm, and NOT served on a plate, at least in our house. We simply eat it out of hand; it holds together well, and makes a great snack, something to enjoy while you’re trailing the kids around on their Easter egg hunt.
March 22nd, 2008 at 2:19 am
I love this website and I love the staff. Thank you so much for sharing your family recipe for Easter pie. Until recently I had never heard of Easter pie and I am 70 yrs. old. I have not made this yet but I am certainly going to try. I love all of the family recipes as they are so special. I am a fairly new member but I read and print practically everything that is written. Aside from the recipes, kudos to your style of writing. It is like you are writing to me, your best friend. Your articles are always so interesting, who would have thought that baking could be so interesting. Keep up the good work . Looking forward to your next baking adventure being it new or old. I haven’t a lot of money so I am unable to purchase a lot of things but boy if I ever win the lottery. Thanks again for making your secrets available. A King Arthur Flour Fan, Royce
I live in a small rural town - Gold Beach, Oregon where King Arthur Flour has yet to visit this part of the states. Thank goodness for your website ordering store. Happy Easter. Peace, Prayers and Hugs to all.
March 22nd, 2008 at 8:37 am
Hi Royce: I AM writing to you! I’m writing to anyone out there who loves to bake. We’re all “virtual” friends. That’s the power of the Internet; we can connect without physically connecting. And kudos to you for trying new things in the kitchen; I hope you get to share Easter Pie sometime with your family or friends. I hope King Arthur Flour makes it out to Gold Beach, Oregon someday. But in the meantime - stay tuned, I’ll be sharing many more baking adventures here. Happy Easter to you- PJ
March 22nd, 2008 at 2:33 pm
I just wanted to say that I made this recipe last night and it is delicious! My husband and I have devoured half a pie over the past 24 hrs. The dough turned out beautifully and usually I’m not good with rolling things out. I will definitely make it again, although I think I might experiment and add some thyme and maybe some lightly sauted onions or maybe some spicy capicola for a little more flavour. Thanks again!
March 22nd, 2008 at 7:41 pm
This pie is wonderfully adaptable. And as many Italian cooks as there are in the world, that’s how many recipes there are. This is the way my in-laws like it - very mildly flavored. But I’ve made it for another occasion using chopped pepperoni and chunks of Parmesan (rather than grated), and it was delicious. As you say, try adding spices and herbs, too. Also, I’ve made it with our Italian flour, which makes it even easier to roll out… just cut the water back to 1 cup + 2 tablespoons, I think it was. Anyway, glad you enjoyed it! - PJH
March 24th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
I enjoyed reading about your traditional Easter pie. My family made one called “pizza rustica” with hard-boiled egg, sopressata, and mozzarella layered and then “cemented” with beaten egg. There was both a top and bottom crust (rich with oil and egg) and it was made in a rectangle pan. We also ate it at room temperature and served for Easter brunch with another easter pie (some folks call this Pastera - it’s made with egg, sugar, ricotta and either wheat or citron). I haven’t made them every year, but when I don’t, I surely miss them!
March 24th, 2008 at 4:14 pm
Liz, check out our other Easter Pie recipe online: Italian Easter Meat Pie. It’s got more of the meats such as you mention, and it’s more a layered effect. Also, check out our Easter Grain Pie, made with rice instead of wheat (as cooked wheat is harder to come by). Thanks for keeping this wonderful “Easter pie” tradition going-
March 30th, 2008 at 1:32 am
I make an Easter Pie from Lucca called a torte–it has a filling made with rice, spinach, parsley, pecorino Romano, walnuts, pignoli, sugar–but I am wondering if anyone else has a more complete recipe…mine is a lot of by guess and by golly–as are my recipes for Crescia and Romano cheese bread with black pepper and Sciatiata a bread made with saffron and dried currents. Does anyone else have these recipes??
March 30th, 2008 at 8:57 pm
I make my Easter ricotta pie in a quiche dish using the yeast dough as a lattice crust. The leftovers from the pie are perfect for the next day’s lunch box. By the way, how does one contribute a recipe for this site?
March 31st, 2008 at 5:46 am
I agree, Mary Ellen, Easter Pie (in any form) is definitely delicious the next day… and the day after that, and after that…
Currently, you can share recipes via bakingcircle.com, our baking/sharing forum. We’re redoing our King Arthur Flour recipe archive, and perhaps there’ll be a recipe sharing function there eventually - not sure. But for now, bakingcircle.com is your best bet. Thanks for connecting-
June 16th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
I love this Easter pie! It is wonderful for brunch, but also great to take slices for lunch. The dough is nice and easy to work with a touch of sweetness. Yum!
August 29th, 2008 at 2:55 am
Just love this Easter pie, but as I am from South Africa could someone tell me what is King Arthur Easy-Roll Dough Improver as we might have something like this here but under another name. Please help would love to try this.
Beverley, this is something we developed, and I don’t think you’d have it there. Substitute a couple of tablespoons of dry milk powder, if you have that. It won’t do exactly the same thing, but is an approximation - simply makes the dough more extensible/easier to roll. Enjoy - PJH