Italian Easter Pizza Recipes

ITALIAN EASTER PIZZA

Steps:

• Make the dough first. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, salt, sugar and baking powder. Combine the oil, milk and 3 eggs, pour into the dry ingredients and stir until the dough holds together well. If you have a stand mixer, use the dough hook attachment to mix until smooth.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Divide the dough in half. Roll out one half of the dough to fit a 14x18 inch baking sheet with sides that come up at least 1/2 inch. If the dough is too stiff to roll out to that size, let it rest for a few minutes and come back to it. Fit the dough into the baking sheet. Set aside.
• Place the sausage into a large skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring to crumble, until no longer pink. Drain off the grease and set aside to cool. Mix together the ricotta cheese, 5 eggs, salt, pepper and hard-cooked eggs in a large bowl. When the sausage is cool, stir it into the cheese and eggs. Spread this mixture evenly over the crust in the pan. Roll out the remaining dough and place on top. Roll the edges and pinch together to seal. Brush the top crust with the beaten egg.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly, about 1 hour. Cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting into servings. This can be served warm or cold.

SPECIAL ITALIAN EASTER PIZZA

Steps:

• Cook and stir Italian sausage in a skillet over medium heat, breaking the sausage into crumbles as it cooks, until well browned, 5 to 8 minutes. Drain excess grease; set sausage aside.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Oil the bottom and sides of a 10-inch springform pan with olive oil.
• Cut 1/3 of the dough off the loaf and set aside under a cloth. Form the remaining 2/3 dough into a ball and roll into a 14-inch circle on a floured work surface.
• Line the springform pan with rolled dough, allowing dough to hang over the edge by 2 inches all around.
• Layer half the cooked Italian sausage, half the mozzarella cheese, half the ham, half the provolone cheese, half the salami, and half the pepperoni into the pie crust.
• Spoon and spread half the ricotta cheese over the layers of meat and cheeses.
• Sprinkle half the Parmesan cheese over the ricotta.
• Pour half the 8 beaten eggs over the layers; continue layering the remaining meats, sliced cheeses, ricotta cheese, and then Parmesan cheese.
• Pour remaining beaten eggs over the last layer of Parmesan cheese.
• Roll out remaining piece of bread dough to a circle about 12 inches in diameter; lay the piece over the pie to form the top crust. Roll and pinch the bottom crust overhang over the top crust to seal in the filling.
• Beat 1 egg with water in a small bowl; brush the top of the pie with egg wash.
• Bake pie in the preheated oven until the crust is golden brown and the filling is set, 50 to 60 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the middle of the crust should come out without raw egg.
• Allow pie to cool in the pan for at least 25 minutes before releasing the spring and removing pie from the pan. Transfer to a serving platter and cut into wedges for serving.