Neapolitan pastiera recipe

Nov 19, 2025 Maria Mugnano

There's a specific time of year when all Italian kitchens—Neapolitan ones in particular—specialize in just one thing. Very often, this happens during Holy Week during the Easter period. The week when all the mothers/fathers, grandmothers/grandfathers in Italy do nothing but bake. Pastiere . One after the other. And they must all be eaten, every last crumb. It is a ritual, a tradition to be passed down to the next generation so that they can pass it on, with all the necessary gestures and secrets, to the next.

And you wouldn't want to be outdone, would you? If you suffer from that " first-time pastiera " fear and want to be prepared on the subject, we'll help you by revealing the recipe for Neapolitan pastiera. So when it's your turn to get your hands on the dough, you'll have at least a basic understanding.

For the Neapolitan pastiera recipe you will need our special aluminum wheel for pastiera.

Difficulty: there is, and quite a bit.

Preparation: 1h

Cooking: 1h 10

Cost: Well, there are cheaper things

Ingredients for eight people:

For the shortcrust pastry:

250 g of 00 flour
50 g of lard
50 g of butter
80 g of sugar
20 g of honey
1 egg
40 g of whole milk
Half a lemon zest
Half an orange peel
Salt to taste

For the cream of wheat:

200g of cooked wheat
80 g of whole milk
25 g of butter
Lemon zest to taste
Orange zest to taste
Salt to taste

For the filling:

200g of sheep's ricotta
180 g of sugar
50 g of candied citron
20 g of honey
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
Orange blossom water to taste
20 g of whole milk
Orange zest to taste
Lemon zest to taste

To garnish:

Powdered sugar to taste

Preparation of Neapolitan pastiera

Start with the pastry. On your work surface, sift the flour and add a pinch of salt. Make a hole in the bottom, spreading the flour all the way to the sides: the pastry should be visible in the center.
Add the butter, lard, and sugar. Mix everything together by hand until incorporated.
Mix and add the honey, egg and milk.
Grate the orange and lemon zest.
Once you have obtained a soft batter, slowly add the flour from the sides until you have obtained a dough.
Knead the dough until smooth and homogeneous. Cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Now move on to cooking the wheat. Pour the pre-cooked wheat into a small saucepan with a little salt. Mash it until smooth, then add the milk and butter.
In another saucepan, sift the ricotta and add the sugar. Mix until smooth. Refrigerate for about an hour.
Then, take the cold wheat mixture, remove the citrus peels and put everything in a larger bowl.
Add the diced candied citron and mix. Now, you can use an immersion blender to blend for a few seconds.
Meanwhile, take the bowl with the ricotta and sugar and add the honey.
Mix and add the wheat, until the mixture is well combined.
In another bowl, combine the egg yolks with the orange blossom water.
Add the milk, grate the lemon and orange zest and mix everything well.
Gradually add this mixture to the ricotta and wheat cream, stirring constantly. At this point, you'll have the filling.
Take the shortcrust pastry and divide it into two pieces, one larger than the other. Roll out the larger one with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface. The desired thickness is 3 mm. Then, roll the dough around the rolling pin.
Unroll it directly into the pastiera pan, without greasing or flouring it. Make sure it adheres well to the bottom and sides, and remove any excess pastry with a rolling pin and a small knife. Prick the base with a fork.
Pour the cream into the pan. Tap it gently to remove any air bubbles.
Take the remaining dough and cut it into seven strips, each 1 to 2 centimeters thick. Place the first four strips crosswise, extending beyond the edge of the pastiera.
Place the other three on top, so as to form the lattice always up to the edge of the wheel.
All excess shortcrust pastry must be removed: now you can bake!
Use a static oven preheated to 180° for about an hour, on the lowest shelf.
After the baking time, remove it from the oven and let it cool. Then you can unmold it (or leave it in the pan, your choice) and dust it with powdered sugar for the finishing touch.