Crescia di Pasqua or Pizza al formaggio (Easter cheese pizza) Typical Easter recipe, excellent all year long as aperitif or snack

Crescia di Pasqua or Pizza al formaggio, is a typical Easter recipe made with different kinds of cheese. It’s the perfect match with cold cuts and can also be served as bread. The recipe is handed down from generation to generation and each family has its little secret that makes its pizza al formaggio special. The local denomination “crescia” seems to come from the fact that it raises fast (“cresce”) in the oven.

Being characterized by a long preparation process, these pizzas were traditionally made once a year, immediately before Easter Sunday. They were made in large quantities in order to keep and eat them for several weeks.

Melt the brewer’s yeast in sugared lukewarm milk. Place the flour in a large container, make a hole in the centre and add eggs, milk, butter and oil in the centre. Start mixing and incorporating grated cheese, small pieces of Emmenthal cheese, salt and pepper. Mix until the mix becomes solid and elastic. Place the mix in a large bowl and leave it to rise for 2.5 hours until it doubles its volume. Mix again and place in a higher container, after greasing it, and leave it to rise for the second time. Bake in the oven at about 200° for 45-60 minutes. The preparation process is quite long: it takes 2 days to get a ready-to-eat pizza.

Dissolve the brewer’s yeast in the warm sweetened milk. In a large bowl, prepare a well with the flour and add the eggs, milk, butter and oil to the center. Start kneading and gradually add the grated cheeses, the diced Emmenthal, salt and pepper. Knead until it takes on nerve and elasticity. Place the dough in a large bowl and let it rise for 2 and a half hours, until it has doubled in volume. Knead again and place in a tall, previously greased container and let it rise again. Cook in a hot oven at around 200° for 45-60 minutes. The processing methodology is quite long: in fact, it takes 2 days to obtain the finished product.