Italian Easter Pie

To make the dough: Combine all the ingredients — by hand, mixer, or bread machine — mixing and kneading until you've made a soft, smooth dough.

Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and allow it to rise for 1 to 2 hours, until it's quite puffy, nearly doubled in bulk. While the dough is rising, make the filling.

To make the filling: Hard-boil and peel 6 of the eggs.

Place the hard-boiled eggs, ham (cut in chunks), and fresh parsley in the work bowl of a food processor. Process until chopped and combined. Don't over-process; the ham and eggs should still be a bit chunky. You can also simply dice the eggs and ham by hand.

Combine the ham, boiled eggs, and parsley with the raw eggs, ricotta, and Parmesan. Season with salt and about 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper.

Lightly grease (or line with parchment paper) two 12" pizza pans.

Deflate the dough, and divide it into four pieces. Roll two pieces into circles to fit your pans.

Divide the filling evenly between the two crusts, covering them to within 1" of their edges. You'll use a generous 3 cups (about 27 ounces, 765g) for each crust.

Roll out the other two pieces of dough, and place them atop the filled crusts, gently stretching them, if necessary, to cover the filling. Seal the crust edges by rolling the bottom crust up over the top, and pinching together.

Using a sharp knife or pair of scissors, cut a 1" hole in the very center of each top crust; this will allow steam to escape.

To make the topping: Whisk together the egg and sugar until the sugar has dissolved. Paint each crust with some of the topping; this will yield a golden brown, shiny crust with mildly sweet flavor, a perfect foil for the salty ham.

Allow the pies to rest while you preheat your oven to 350°F, about 15 minutes. They don't need to be covered.

Bake the pies for about 25 minutes, until they're a deep, golden brown. Remove them from the oven, and carefully slide them off the pan/parchment and onto on a rack to cool.

Serve warm or at room temperature. Refrigerate any leftovers for up to 4 days.