Rustic Neapolitan Pizza with Sweet Crust and Filling of Ricotta, Provola, and Mortadella
Neapolitan cuisine is my passion; in fact, my Blog already features the recipe for authentic Neapolitan rustic pizza, the one made with lard, but recently a dear friend of mine (also Neapolitan like me) shared her precious family recipe for Neapolitan rustic pizza (with a DIFFERENT filling from my recipe) and I decided to add this version to my Blog because it is truly delicious. Frankly, I can’t decide which of the two is better; it also depends on personal tastes, which is why I decided to offer both for their undisputed goodness …. the choice is yours!
The characteristic of the Neapolitan rustic pizza is the pleasant contrast between the sweet flaky crust and the salty filling.
This ancient savory pie also serves as a single dish and can be stored in the refrigerator for several days, and it can be prepared in advance a few days before serving, making it very practical for holidays, lunches, and dinners with guests and easy to make.
The recipe quantities are generous (for about 10-12 people) because it disappears in no time and everyone loves it (you can also freeze it in portions) but you can easily halve the quantities.
You can also prepare individual portion pastries or add Neapolitan salami. The sweet crust can also be used for sweet preparations.
If you love Neapolitan cuisine as much as I do, click on my Special: “Authentic Neapolitan Cuisine“, where you’ll find many other Neapolitan recipes (both savory and sweet).
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Inexpensive
- Rest time: 1 Hour
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 12 people
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Regional Italian
- Region: Campania
- Seasonality: All Seasons, Easter
Ingredients for the Rustic Neapolitan Pizza with Sweet Crust
- 8 cups all-purpose flour (I use Caputo Azzurra)
- 17.5 oz butter (soft)
- 1 egg (whole)
- 11 egg yolks
- 2.5 cups sugar
- 1 tbsp table salt
- 1 lemon zest (from one lemon)
- 2.2 lbs ricotta cheese
- 4 eggs (whole)
- 4.4 cups smoked provola (diced)
- 10.5 oz mortadella (sliced)
- 2 tsp table salt
- to taste black peppercorns (ground)
Tools
- Stand Mixer Kenwood with illuminated bowl and 1400 W power
- Cutting Board with two integrated trays for waste
- Mezzaluna with double blade
Steps for Rustic Neapolitan Pizza with Sweet Crust
First, the butter should not be too hard (but not like a cream either). Sift the flour. Drain the ricotta and smoked provola (even better if you buy them the day before and let them drain in a colander for 24 hours at room temperature).
Quickly work the dough with the stand mixer’s paddle attachment (or by hand), mixing butter and flour and then the rest of the ingredients, just long enough to combine them well.
Flatten the dough and place it in the fridge wrapped in plastic wrap for at least 1 hour.
After two hours in the fridge, divide the dough into two parts (one larger than the other, for the edges) and roll out the dough not too thick.Cut the mortadella into strips and the drained provola into cubes. Take a bowl and pour in the drained ricotta, mashing it well with a fork (no mixer), add the 4 whole eggs (beaten separately in another bowl), salt, pepper, and mix everything well, then add the mortadella and provola. Then butter a round pan about 14 inches in diameter (preferably aluminum). Roll out the base dough and cover the well-buttered pan, pour the mixture onto the shortcrust base and close everything with another disk of dough, prick the surface with a fork. Bake the rustic pizza in a preheated oven at 356°F for about 50 minutes (depends on your oven).
Once cooked, let it cool and serve. Anyway, it’s delicious both cold and hot (or reheated).
The contrast between sweet and salty makes the true rustic Neapolitan pizza unique!
Shopping Tips!!!
To knead perfectly and comfortably, I often use my Kenwood Titanium Chef Patissier XL with illuminated 7L bowl, built-in scale, and blender, 1400W power, a faithful ally in the kitchen for kneading, weighing, whipping, melting chocolate, pasteurizing eggs.
If you are looking for a more economical and smaller stand mixer, you can safely choose to buy Kenwood Titanium Chef Baker, with double bowls of 5L and 3.5L, 1200W power.
You can find both stand mixers on Amazon at a special price.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
History and origins of Neapolitan rustic pizza?
The Neapolitan rustic pizza is a preparation with very ancient origins; it belongs to the typical aristocratic cuisine of the Bourbons described by the great gastronome Vincenzo Corrado. Initially, they were made as single-serving pastries, and later, it also appeared as a pie in the “Cucina teorico pratica” by Cavalcanti.
