Whole Wheat Ricotta Pie Recipe. Lighter And Butterless!

This weekend prepare this dreamy whole wheat ricotta pie recipe! A sweet pie dough butterless, lighter and with incredible flavor! Without a doubt, it has nothing to envy to the traditional one! Because its whole wheat version, in addition to being much more nutritious, is equally delicious! Surprise yourself with this recipe!

One of the questions I always get asked is about replacing butter in whole grain sweet recipes. And for this very reason, the kitchen finds itself with the need to evolve, it is modified to adapt itself accordingly. As it is well known, there are basic dough recipes that traditionally have butter.

So today I bring you my version of whole wheat ricotta pie, with a butterless dough and light filling. A sweet pie ideal for breakfasts, snacks and also as a dessert. You really won’t regret giving it a try! In addition, I leave you some tips that may be useful and the recipe will be perfect!

Let’s talk a bit about the recipe:

This whole wheat ricotta pie is simple to make and doesn’t require a lot of experience. The ingredients are simple and easily accessible in any store. But unlike other recipes, this pie crust is without butter. Therefore, the ingredients and amounts vary and are modified accordingly.

About the dough:

In this sweet whole wheat pie dough, the butter is replaced by sunflower oil. However, if you want to use butter, margarine or some other type of oil, you can do it without problem. Bu the flavor that it can transmit to the dough should always be taken into account in its final result.

As a consequence of replacing butter with sunflower oil, the traditional ingredients used in this type of recipe must also be modified. That is why you will see other non regular ingredients for its preparation. Which will result in a firm but not hard dough, very similar to shortbread pastry.

Ricotta pies unlike other sweet tarts, use a higher amount of dough. As a result, a pie with thick walls and a firmer appearance is obtained, ideal for maintaining its shape due to its large amount of filling. But as it is homemade, you can modify your own taste or the mold you have.

The size and type of mold used is a 22 cm high pie pan, but you can use a 24 cm high pie pan or a larger but low one. However, whenever the mold is modified in a recipe, the cooking times must be modified as well. Because a tall pie will take longer to cook than a short one, for example.

About the filling:

The filling of this pie is very soft, with just the right amount of whole cane sugar. But if you like pies sweeter, you can increase their quantity or use sweetener. The predominant flavor is lemon zest, it provides a fresh and pleasant flavor without being invasive. Orange can also be used.

The ricotta used this time I bought it at the market, I did not have time to prepare it at home. Even so, if you need to know how to do it or are interested in learning, I leave the link here. It is a recipe to keep in mind when it is difficult for us to find it easily. Also perhaps, it is much cheaper than buying it.

Another of the things that differ in this recipe is that eggs are used whole, not just the yolks. For this reason, by having a greater amount of liquid in its filling, cornstarch is incorporated. Which will give it a firmer and more solid consistency since the ricotta provides a quantity of liquid as well.

To make this pie lighter I used light cream cheese but if you want to improve its flavor, you can use milk cream. It can also be replaced by more ricotta if none of the other options convince you. In any case, this modification will not be inconvenient in terms of flavor or its final consistency.

About cooking:

Its baking requires some time as it is a tall pie with a large amount of filling and thick dough. Bake time is generally 50-60 minutes in a preheated 180 °C / 82.22 °F oven. Being an whole wheat dough, if it is punctual, the better. Because if it is burned or toasted too much it can acquire a bitter taste.