As per tradition, the Easter cheese pizza is eaten on Easter morning for breakfast, accompanied by cold cuts, hard-boiled eggs and mayonnaise. It can also be served as an appetizer or on its own, either warm or cold. It pairs with everything — one slice is never enough — and homemade simply cannot be compared to the ready-made supermarket ones.
If you’ve never made it, don’t worry: by following my tried-and-true recipe step by step, I’m sure you’ll bake a delicious homemade cheese pizza. Maybe make it alongside the Easter pie (torta pasqualina), which should never be missing from the Easter breakfast table.
“Cook food with love, share your goodness at the stove… while you chop the parsley or knead the bread. The flavor of what you serve will change, becoming more digestible and delightful to the palate of the person receiving your gift served with love.”
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 3 Hours
- Portions: 10People
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
Makes 1 cheese pizza, baked in a pan about 8 in (20 cm) in diameter x 3.5 in (9 cm) high
- 4 cups type 0 flour (all-purpose)
- 2 1/2 cups pecorino (grated)
- 2 oz parmigiano (Parmesan) (cut into small cubes)
- 2/3 cup water (warm (about 5 fl oz))
- 3 eggs (whole)
- 2/3 oz fresh yeast (fresh brewer's yeast (about 18 g))
- 1 tsp sugar
- 3/4 tsp salt
- to taste pepper
Preparation
Dissolve the yeast in the warm water together with the sugar.
Cut the Parmesan into small cubes and set them aside.
Beat the eggs with the salt and pepper and set them aside as well.
Measure the flour and the grated pecorino and place them in a bowl, mix them well together, then pour in the water with the yeast.
Mix the mixture and then add the beaten eggs, and finally fold in the Parmesan cut into cubes.
Shape the dough into a ball and place it into the pan, previously buttered and floured.
Cover it with a cloth and let it rise until doubled. It will take about 3 hours, but the time varies depending on room temperature.
When the rise is complete, preheat the oven and bake the cheese pizza for 30 minutes at 347°F.
If you place a sheet of aluminum foil over the pizza halfway through baking, you will prevent the surface from darkening too much. Also, the toothpick test still applies: if the wooden skewer comes out dry, the cheese pizza is ready.
Before removing the pizza from the pan, I recommend running the tip of a knife around the edges while the cake is still warm to make removal easier.
It keeps for 3-4 days wrapped in a slightly damp cotton cloth inside a plastic bag.
You can also freeze it whole or in slices, warming it slightly before serving.
