La Pizza Ricresciuta is a "regrown pizza," meaning that its dough has risen anew after having been tamped down, and is the classic Roman Easter cake. Mr. Jannattoni, author of La Cucina Romana e del Lazio, got the recipe from Ada Boni, author of Il Talismano della Felicitá. In introducing it, he says:
Prep Time: 2 hours
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2.2 pounds (1 k) flour -- this will be about 8 1/2 cups
- 1 3/4 pounds (800 g) bread dough (see note below)
- 1 tablespoon powdered cinnamon
- 8 whole eggs
- 2/3 pound (300 g) fresh ricotta
- A pinch of salt
- The grated zest from 2 lemons
- 2 1/2 cups sugar (see below)
Preparation:
Continuing with the introduction, Mr. Jannattoni saus, "Time was that housewives would devote all of Good Friday to the preparation of this cake, so as to have it ready for the visit of the Priest, which would follow the release of the bells and bring words of peace into the home. (Bells are muffled from Good Friday to the beginning of Easter Sunday.)
"For this happy springtime event the traditional Easter treats were laid out on the dining room table set with the best Flanders tablecloth, surrounded by bouquets of violets, sprigs of mimosa and other flowers. In the middle of it all, like a triumphant hen hatching her eggs, the pizza ricresciuta."
Before we get to the recipe, a note:
Mr. Jannattoni calls for risen bread dough, which an Italian would buy from a local baker -- it's dough ready to go into the oven, with lots of live, active yeast, and one might think of it as a large starter loaf. If you do not buy risen bread dough, begin by combining 8 cups of flour with sufficient warm water, a pinch of salt, and active dry yeast to make bread dough. Let it rise, covered, in a warm place, and then use it to make the pizza ricresciuta. How to make bread.
Returning to the Recipe,
Beat the eggs well (a task that fell to Mr. Jannattoni when he was little, and notes that his harms stopped working by the time he was done). Make a mound of the flour on your work surface, scoop a well into it, and work all the remaining ingredients into it, kneading the dough until it is smooth, elastic and velvety. Finally, remove it from the work surface and deposit it in the center of a large, oiled or greased pan (depending upon the size of your pans you might need to break the dough into two pieces).
Let the dough rise for about 10 hours, then bake the pizza at the proper temperature until done.
Note: Mr. Jannattoni doesn't say what this temperature should be. He also forgot to transcribe the sugar from Ms. Boni's recipe. For a bit more than twice the flour she uses 6 cups sugar, so I would suggest about 2.5 cups sugar. As for temperature, she says a moderate oven; figure 350 F (175 C), until the crust is golden and the pizza sounds hollow when you tap it.
"For this happy springtime event the traditional Easter treats were laid out on the dining room table set with the best Flanders tablecloth, surrounded by bouquets of violets, sprigs of mimosa and other flowers. In the middle of it all, like a triumphant hen hatching her eggs, the pizza ricresciuta."
Before we get to the recipe, a note:
Mr. Jannattoni calls for risen bread dough, which an Italian would buy from a local baker -- it's dough ready to go into the oven, with lots of live, active yeast, and one might think of it as a large starter loaf. If you do not buy risen bread dough, begin by combining 8 cups of flour with sufficient warm water, a pinch of salt, and active dry yeast to make bread dough. Let it rise, covered, in a warm place, and then use it to make the pizza ricresciuta. How to make bread.
Returning to the Recipe,
Beat the eggs well (a task that fell to Mr. Jannattoni when he was little, and notes that his harms stopped working by the time he was done). Make a mound of the flour on your work surface, scoop a well into it, and work all the remaining ingredients into it, kneading the dough until it is smooth, elastic and velvety. Finally, remove it from the work surface and deposit it in the center of a large, oiled or greased pan (depending upon the size of your pans you might need to break the dough into two pieces).
Let the dough rise for about 10 hours, then bake the pizza at the proper temperature until done.
Note: Mr. Jannattoni doesn't say what this temperature should be. He also forgot to transcribe the sugar from Ms. Boni's recipe. For a bit more than twice the flour she uses 6 cups sugar, so I would suggest about 2.5 cups sugar. As for temperature, she says a moderate oven; figure 350 F (175 C), until the crust is golden and the pizza sounds hollow when you tap it.
