SWEET PIZZA
This year, on Easter day, a traditional, rich, and delicious dessert cannot be missing from the Sunday lunch table: the Easter Sweet Pizza, a typical leavened dessert from many regions of central Italy.
Like all traditional recipes, this sweet leavened dessert has various versions depending on the area where it is made and is often passed down from generation to generation. For example, you can find the Umbrian or Marche Easter Sweet Pizza or the Crescia, a salty version typical of Abruzzo.
Some people prefer only candied fruits in the dough, others add raisins, some eat it plain, while others make it more decorative by topping it with sugar glaze and colorful sprinkles.
But don’t worry, making the Easter Sweet Pizza is not as complicated as one might think. In reality, all it takes is a bit of patience due to the rising times (about 2 hours), but you can prepare it the night before, and for the rest, it’s a simple dough recipe.
In today’s Easter Sweet Pizza recipe, I flavored the mixture with vanilla sugar and filled it with mixed candied fruits, but you can easily replace them with raisins or, for a super indulgent version, with chocolate chips.
Follow the Easter Sweet Pizza recipe step by step, and you will bake a soft and delicious leavened cake perfect for concluding Easter lunch or, as tradition dictates, to be eaten in the morning at breakfast dipped in milk.
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Rest time: 2 Hours 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 8
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Easter
- Energy 351.62 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 68.55 (g) of which sugars 36.23 (g)
- Proteins 8.06 (g)
- Fat 5.99 (g) of which saturated 1.30 (g)of which unsaturated 4.05 (g)
- Fibers 1.68 (g)
- Sodium 16.01 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 75 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
What you need to prepare Easter Sweet Pizza
There are different variations of Easter Pizza. In my recipe, I used only vanilla sugar as a flavoring, but you can replace or add lemon, orange, or almond flavoring. For the filling, I added mixed candied fruit (raisins or chocolate chips are also fine).
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups g bread flour
- 2 eggs (whole)
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 packet dry yeast
- 3/4 cup g sugar
- 1 packet vanilla sugar
- 3 tbsp ml sunflower oil
- 7 oz ml whole milk (warm)
- 5 oz g candied fruits (mixed)
- 1 egg white
- 1 cup g powdered sugar
- as needed sugar sprinkles (colored)
Tools
- 2 Bowls
- Spoon
- Fork
- Pan
- Plastic wrap
Easter Sweet Pizza Recipe Step by Step
Put both flours in a bowl and add the dry yeast (such as Mastro Fornaio), mix with a spoon.
In another bowl, put the whole eggs plus 1 yolk (keep the egg white for the glaze), quickly beat with a fork, then add the oil, sugar, and vanilla sugar and continue mixing with a fork.Combine the eggs with the milk in the bowl and continue to mix by hand. Then add the flour little by little. As soon as the dough starts to have some consistency, move to a lightly floured work surface and start kneading with your hands until you obtain a smooth and elastic dough.
Form a ball, put it back in the bowl, make a cross cut on the surface with a sharp knife, cover with plastic wrap, and let it rest for about 2 hours or until the volume doubles.
After the time has passed, take the dough again, place it on the work surface, work it with your hands trying to spread it out, and place the candied fruit (or raisins or chocolate chips) in the center. Close and knead to incorporate it completely into the dough.
Grease a tall, narrow mold (mine is 8 inches wide) and place the dough inside. Let it rise one last time for about 30 minutes. Then bake in a preheated static oven at 350°F for about 50 minutes.
While the Easter Pizza is baking, prepare the glaze. To do this, take the egg white set aside earlier and mix it in a bowl with the powdered sugar, adding it little by little until you get a fairly thick mixture.
When the cake is cooked, take it out of the oven, let it cool before removing it from the mold, then place it on a rack and use a spoon to pour the freshly prepared sugar glaze on top. Decorate with colorful sprinkles. Let the glaze dry before serving. Happy Easter!
STORAGE
The Easter Sweet Pizza can be prepared in advance and, thanks to the glaze that partially prevents air from passing through, it stays soft for at least a week. I recommend waiting for the glaze to dry completely before wrapping it, then wrap it in plastic wrap or, if you have it, in a cellophane bag like those for colomba. It does not require refrigeration and can be stored at room temperature.
NOTES AND SUBSTITUTIONS
CANDIED FRUITS: If you don’t like the taste of candied fruits, you can replace them with an equal amount of raisins or chocolate chips. It will still be a delicious Easter Sweet Pizza.
GLUTEN-FREE SWEET PIZZA: If you have a gluten intolerance, you can make the Easter Sweet Pizza by replacing both flours with a gluten-free flour mix specifically for leavened doughs, starting with the same amount and, if necessary, adjust the quantities based on the dough’s consistency
YEAST: If you can’t find dehydrated sourdough, you can replace it with a packet of dry yeast like Mastro Fornaio or with 110g of refreshed solid sourdough.
EASTER SWEET PIZZA MOLD: To prepare this recipe, I used a tall, narrow mold that is 8 inches wide.
