Dad's Italian Easter Pie (a.k.a. Pizza Rustica)

This pie is traditionally served at Easter holiday. I remember Dad’s sister Patty Massa sending this to our house and how delicious it was. I can appreciate the effort it took to make this very delicious pie. I suppose one could cheat and use a bread machine to make the dough or is that sacrilegious?

ingredients

Dough:
2 cups warm water
1 packet active dry yeast (1/4 ounce)
1 tablespoon sugar or honey
1 tablespoon salt
5 - 6 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
Filling:
1 pound loose Italian sausage -- browned
1/2 pound capicola -- cubed
1/2 pound salami -- cubed
1/2 pound mozzarella -- shredded
1 pound ricotta cheese
6 eggs -- hard boiled
6 eggs -- well beaten
milk -- scant to add to beaten eggs
Parmesan cheese -- grated
onion -- chopped
garlic -- minced
flat-leaf parsley -- chopped
Note: Reserve a little beaten egg and milk for an egg wash for the top of dough.

directions

1
Preheat the oven to 325°F.
2
Prepare a 9“ or 10” spring-form pan; grease with a little olive oil.
3
Dough:
4
In a large bowl, dissolve in 2 cups of warm water, yeast, sugar or honey, and salt. Using a spoon, gently blend.
5
Add 5 cups of all-purpose flour and 2 tablespoons of olive oil to start. Blend with a spoon just until the dough starts to form, then using your hands, transfer dough to a floured surface.
6
Knead well, adding flour if it’s too sticky, until the dough becomes springy and smooth. It should take a good 5 to 10 minutes of vigorous kneading. It will be soft and silky when done.
7
Place the dough ball in a large, clean bowl coated with olive oil and rub some olive oil on top of the dough. Cover with a clean, dry dishtowel and let rise in a warm, draft-free area until doubled in size (at least 2 hours).
8
Once the dough is risen, punch it down gently to release air bubbles. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface, divide in half, and roll into 12-inch rounds. Transfer one of the rounds of the dough to the spring-form pan. Using your hands, fit the dough snugly in the pan, gently stretching it to hang 1 inch over the edge. Now add the filling.
9
Bottom Crust & Filling:
10
In a medium bowl, whisk together the 6 eggs (raw), a little milk, parsley, and Parmesan cheese.
11
Layer ingredients alternating them as you go. Pour raw egg mixture over top.
12
Top Crust:
13
Drape the top crust over the filling, and bring the edge of the bottom crust up over the edge of the top crust, sealing the two together and smoothing them as best you can. Pierce the top crust to allow steam to escape. Brush with egg wash.
14
Bake at 325°F for about 1 1/2 hours. You may want to put a parchment or foil-lined pan underneath to catch any spills.
15
Cool and then refrigerate.