Strawberry Crostata
This Strawberry Crostata is a typical Italian breakfast and dessert favourite.
Crisp and tender pastry filled with fruity jam and accompanied by a milky coffee or espresso is a match made in heaven. All that’s needed is a view over the Italian countryside!
While my daughter was an au pair in Italy, she learned to make this incredible Strawberry Crostata from her host family. The crust is rich with eggs, beautifully crisp, and wonderfully buttery. When she came home, she shared the recipe with me, and it’s been a favorite ever since.
I have chosen to make this crostata with strawberry jam. Here I use my homemade strawberry jam recipe, but it doesn’t have to be. However, if you choose a store-bought jam, please check the percentage of fruit as compared to sugar. You really want to choose a jam with a high fruit content.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Flavor: The combination of strawberry jam with the rich, buttery crust is a match made in heaven! If you love strawberries as much as I do, you should try my Strawberry Rhubarb Compote, which is another perfect pairing.
- Italian Classic: Are you looking for an authentic Italian recipe? You can’t go past this Strawberry Crostata. It’s a recipe my daughter learnt in Italy, and it’s so good!
Crostata dough v pie dough
This Strawberry Crostata is made with a classic Italian pastry dough called pasta frolla, or Italian shortcrust pastry. Traditionally, pasta frolla is made with a 2 to 1 to 1 ratio of flour, butter, and sugar. While this recipe adjusts the ratio slightly, the dough is easy to work with and produces excellent results. It rolls out beautifully and is simple to work with. Unlike pie dough, which is often less sweet and flakier, pasta frolla is sweeter, more tender, and cookie-like.
You can make the dough a day ahead and keep it in the refrigerator, or freeze it for up to three months. It’s perfect for crostate, tarts, and pies, and also makes lovely plain cookies.
Variations
- Fresh Strawberries: Add a layer of sliced fresh strawberries over the jam, beneath the lattice. The extra fruit will release liquid and soften the pastry, so refrigerate leftovers. This variation of Strawberry Crostata won’t keep as long, but I doubt that will be a problem.
Top Tips
- For best results, use pastry flour with a low protein content to make this Strawberry Crostata.
- Don’t overwork the dough, or it will be tough, but conversely, underworked dough won’t bake evenly.
- Be sure to chill the crostata dough thoroughly before rolling.
- Flour the work surface and the rolling pin – not the dough.
- This crostata dough recipe has been converted from metric for your convenience. If you have a kitchen scale, using the original metric measurements will give the most accurate results.
Serving Suggestions
This Strawberry Crostata is lovely served just as it is, either at room temperature or slightly chilled. Try it with a dollop of mascarpone cream, ice cream, or a light dusting of powdered sugar. I often slice it into wedges like a tart, but in Italy, it is often cut into squares and eaten by hand like a cookie. Serve it however you prefer. It will be delicious every time.
Did you love this Strawberry Crostata recipe? Then you’ll also love this Italian Yogurt Tub cake or my Apple Crostata. Perfect for an Italian-style breakfast or simply anytime!
More recipes you’ll love
Crostata di Marmelata
Pastiera (Italian Easter Pie)
Strawberry Coulis
Chocolate Tart
Made this recipe?
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Strawberry Crostata Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 ¾ cups (350 grams) pastry or cake flour (See note 1)
- 1 ¼ cups (140 grams) powdered sugar icing sugar
- ⅔ cup (150 grams) unsalted butter cut into small pieces (See note 2)
- pinch salt
- 3 egg yolks (See Note 3)
- 1 egg (See Note 3)
- 1 lemon rind only grated
- 1 ⅓ cups (425 grams) strawberry jam
Instructions
- Butter a 10in/25cm flan pan with a removable base (See note 4).
- Place flour, sugar, butter and salt into food processor bowl. Process until the butter is incorporated and the mixture is sandy. Don't over process! (If you don't have a food processor, see note 5)
- Add egg yolks, egg and lemon rind. Process for 30-40 seconds or until the pastry just comes together and forms a ball.
- Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or even overnight.
- Preheat oven 350ºF/180ºC.
- Flour a work surface and a rolling pin.
- Unwrap the dough and set aside 1/3 of the dough.
- Roll out the remaining dough into a circle that will fit the prepared pan. Remember to check that the dough is not sticking underneath and keep your rolling pin floured.
- Roll the dough around the rolling pic and unroll into the pan, carefully easing the dough into the corners.
- Trim away the excess.
- Spread the strawberry jam evenly into the pastry base.
- Add the trimmed dough to the reserved dough and roll out to 10in/25cm in length and about 4in/10cm wide.
- Cut strips of dough. I like to cut the strip quite thin but this is your crostata – cut the strips to whatever size you like.
- Arrange the strips across the crostata in a cross hatch pattern. Rerolling as needed.
- Press the edges to seal and trim excess.
- Bake crostata for 40-45 minutes until browned and cooked through.
- Allow to cool.
- Dust with powdered/icing sugar to serve.
Notes
- Use a pastry or cake flour which is low in protein for best results.
- Butter should be cold from the fridge. Warm butter will melt into the flour and not give the short texture needed for the pastry.
- Eggs can be either cold or at cool room temperature.
- You can use any pan or pie dish you like which is around 10in/25cm.
- The butter can be rubbed into the flour using your fingertips until the mixture resembles wet sand. Stir in the sugar and salt and continue with the recipe.
Nutritional Estimate Per Serving
Nutritional Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. For accurate results, it is recommended that the nutritional information be calculated based on the ingredients and brands you use.
My husband and I were blown away with this recipe – the crostata melts in your mouth – it was like eating in Italy. It was also easy to make and the lemon zest really adds flair. Best new recipe I’ve tried in years!
I’m thrilled that you love it, Robin!
it is such a aggrevation trying to read your recipe with the adds covering almost the whole page. please do something about this. the recipe looks good if you could read it
Hello Mary.
Yes, this recipe for Strawberry Crostata is very good indeed and is shared with you and all my readers free of charge. We work hard here at Marcellina in Cucina to create great recipes that work and a website like this is not inexpensive to run. It’s for this reason that we must run ads on the page.
Yes, we could eliminate ads altogether but then the site would need to become available only by paid subscription. However, I would rather provide recipes for free than make you and my valued readers pay for them.
I personally cook from Marcellina in Cucina using my phone and laptop and find it easy. Alternatively, you could print the recipe out or go to the print page and download a PDF from which you can read the recipe.
Hi Marcellina,
Your recipe looks amazing. I would love to try it. Can you
Specify if the eggs are at room temperature and if the butter
Is cold or room temperature. Thank you
In this case, Marina, the butter is fridge cold and eggs are cold or at cool room temperature.
Great dough recipe, easy to roll out! The crostata looks amazing
Thank you Sabrina! Yes, it is amazing. I love this recipe and so glad to have learnt it!
This Crostata is beautiful and strawberries are one of my favorites. Your pictures make me wish I could reach through the screen 🙂 . Take care.
Yes, I think strawberry crostata is my favourite too!
Oh my goodness, does that ever look delicious. You did a perfect job making that lattice crust. Just beautiful!
Thank you, Linda! I think it’s all in this amazing crust recipe – it’s a no fail really.
Marcellina I wish I lived closer to you so I could pop over for a slice of this delicious strawberry crostata and a cup of tea. But instead I’ll just have to whip it up myself 🙂
Oh Cassie, I’d love you to pop over! Anytime you’re up my way, you are so welcome!
This is just perfect, Marcellina! Crostate like this are a favorite and have been since my first trip to Italy. I make them often when there… I love your pasta frolla recipe – I have never made it with that many eggs, and I can just imagine how rich and sweet the dough must be! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you David! Yes, it does use a lot of eggs and I have never seen another like it. My daughter is Italy for a year. This recipe is adapted from her host mum’s recipe. It is so easy to work with but it was a bit of trial and error to get right. It works best with pastry flour.
I haven’t seen anything that tasteful for a long time ! Beautiful !
Aw that’s so nice of you to say!
One of my absolute favorites… although I have not mastered the lattice top. Your crostata looks absolutely delicious. Wedges or squares… that is a great question. I am sure I would enjoy this crostata recipe, no matter the shape! Thanks for sharing ♥
Me too, Maria, I love crostata. So simple and perfect!
Looks so so delicious!!