A mountain girl who gives back all the scent of the Campania dessert, thanks to the balanced filling of cream and citrus: Diego Vitagliano studies his tribute to the pastiera in detail, giving us a striking slice. The right time to enjoy it? At the end of a meal, but at any time of the year!
Photo by Alessandra Farinelli
Diego Vitagliano's sweet pizza dedicated to the pastiera
The people of Campania know that you don't need a special occasion to serve it. What it does need, however, is a lot of time, both in the preparation ritual and in the “magic trick” of letting it set for 2-3 days because, to be honest, the pastiera tastes better when it's rested! And yet, in the end, your nose will give you the final proof: "We Neapolitans say ‘addor’, which means ‘smell’. Aromas, spices, hints of all kinds that we use everywhere. They taste of tradition, family, the pleasure of doing well". This is how the Neapolitan ‘dessert joker’ Diego Vitagliano describes it, mentioning that fragrant trail that brings together the pungency of citrus fruits, the fullness of ricotta and the authenticity of cereal.
However, in addition to churning out a delicious pastiera in his bakery of the same name, he has chosen to transform it into nothing less than a slice of pizza. This is the only sweet topping offered at the end of the tasting menu at his restaurants; an “airy bite” that envelops and refreshes the taste buds in equal measure, without cloying aftertaste. For the award-winning pizza chef (at the top of the 50 Top Pizza and 3 Spicchi del Gambero Rosso rankings) the last act of the journey must in fact reflect the balance of the previous courses. So, yes to the pastiera, but translated into a modern montanara, which incorporates the custard flavored with wildflower water and the cubes of candied orange. On the one hand, the base made with sourdough and the correct rising times, to obtain a light fried pastry; on the other hand, the velvety filling, to enhance the original recipe with lightness.
Diego gives us the complete procedure with ingredients, steps and tips, taken from the book “La pizza napoletana tra creatività e tradizione” (Italian Gourmet). A book dedicated to the challenges of the young outsider of doughs, who through hard work and tenacity has focused on the pronounced crust, promoting local excellence and refining the method to give the public rounder pizzas that are more balanced and easier to digest. From his debut in 2016 to his recent upcoming projects, Diego currently runs 3 pizzerias between Bagnoli and Pozzuoli (we should also mention the temporary one he had in Doha in recent years), without forgetting a plan for new openings in Italy that will keep him busy in the coming months. Fresh from winning the Premio Identità di Pizza 2025, he is now preparing for Easter production: what better treat than the pastiera?
'COME UNA PASTIERA' by Diego Vitagliano
Regenerated pizza, dusted with icing sugar and topped with a custard flavored with wildflower water, candied orange and another layer of icing sugar.
Ingredients for 12 slices of pizza
For the base of the pizza
- 260 g classic dough (see below)
For the topping
- 250 g custard flavored with millefiori water
- 150 g candied orange, diced
- 80 g powdered sugar
For the cream
- 1 liter whole milk
- 300 g egg yolk
- 240 g sugar
- 100 g rice starch
- 5 g salt
- 1 vial of mixed-flower water
- 1 lemon rind
Procedure
For the cream
Boil the milk together with the mixed-flower water and lemon rind. In the meantime, place the egg yolk, sugar, rice starch and salt in a container and mix until all the ingredients are well thickened. When the milk has come to the boil, remove it from the heat and add the mixture you have previously prepared. Return to the heat until the ingredients have completely thickened, taking care to stir well. Once it has come to the boil, the cream is ready. Leave to cool and then add the seasoning.
For the pizza
Roll out the pizza dough and form a disk with a diameter of 32 cm. Using a pizza cutter, cut out 12 strips and make a clean cut in the center of each one.
Cooking and finishing
Fry the strips of dough at 180° C for 2 minutes. Place them in a baking pan and sprinkle with icing sugar. Then regenerate in a tunnel oven at 180° C for 2 minutes. When removed from the oven, decorate the pizza with dollops of custard flavored with millefiori water. Add six cubes of orange to each strip of pastiera and finally sprinkle with icing sugar.
Diego Vitagliano's classic dough recipe
Ingredients for 18 pizzas
For the classic biga
- 1000 g strong flour (type 360 W)
- 500 g water
- 2 g fresh brewer's yeast
For the final dough
- 1500 g starter dough
- 2300 g medium-strength flour
- 1940 g water
- 82 g salt
Procedure
For the starter dough: add the yeast to the water and mix for one minute. Add the mixture to the flour and mix for 2 minutes, taking care not to form the dough. Leave to ferment for 16 hours at 16°C.
Final dough: knead the starter with half the water in the recipe, add the flour and slowly add the remaining water. After 10 minutes add the salt and a little oil, then add the remaining water and switch to second speed. Once the dough is ready, cut it out and leave it to rest in the fridge for 7 hours at a temperature of 6°C and for another 2 hours at a temperature of 26°C. Take the dough out just before serving and bring it to a final temperature that can vary from 23°C to 26°C depending on the season and the temperature of the room in which you are working.
Contacts
10 PIZZERIA DIEGO VITAGLIANO – Naples (Santa Lucia)
via Santa Lucia 78, 80132 - Naples
10 PIZZERIA DIEGO VITAGLIANO – Naples (Bagnoli)
via Nuova Agnano 1, 80125 – Naples
10 PIZZERIA DIEGO VITAGLIANO – Pozzuoli
via Campi Flegrei 13, 80078 – Pozzuoli (NA)
