Sunny Spinach Pie on a not-so-Sunny Day

Our church circle met this week on a glorious rainy day. The rain was welcome even though it made arriving at the meeting a wet experience and the thunder was startling. We were all glad for the rain after several weeks of dry weather and we were joyful to be meeting again after a summer break. The hostess for the morning's meeting had chosen a special recipe (found on-line), Sunny Spinach Pie. The pictured steps and 5 printed pages of pictures and instructions could seem daunting, but she assured us it was easier than you might think. As I read through the steps, it does seem that the hardest part is understanding the forming of the 'pie' into a sunburst looking creation. So, I'll try to explain the process without pictures, but if you need visuals, I've seen similar recipes on line at Pinterest and food websites.

Sunny Spinach Pie                                      

Dough: 17 oz. flour (1 pound of all-purpose flour equals about 4 cups, so about 4 ¼ cup flour)
      ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
     ¾ dry white wine (rice wine vinegar makes a good substitute)
     1 teaspoon salt
Place all dough ingredients in stand mixer and mix with dough hook until the dough is smooth and combined. (or mix and knead as you would other dough) Wrap in plastic wrap while you make the filling.

Filling:
    12 oz. boiled spinach (if using frozen be sure to drain well)
    12 oz. ricotta cheese
     1 egg
    3 oz. grated Parmesan cheese
    salt and pepper
    bread crumbs
Mix the spinach and ricotta. Add egg, Parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper (sprinkling of each). Mix well and set aside.

Unwrap dough and divide into two equal portions.
Using a rolling pin, roll out each dough ball to create a circle that is about 11 ¾ inches in diameter. (two circles of dough - the top and bottom crusts)
On the dough circle that will be the bottom, sprinkle bread crumbs to help absorb the moisture from the filling and to keep the dough dry. In the center of this dough circle, place a large dollop of filling. Spread the rest of the filling in a larger ring around the outside edge (about 1 inch from the edge) of the dough, leaving a space between the center mound of filling and the outer ring of filling.
Sprinkle the filling with grated Parmesan cheese.
Cover with the second dough circle. Seal the dough edges with your fingers, then a fork. Place a small bowl in the middle of the dough over the center dollop of filling and press lightly to make an indentation.
Leaving the bowl in place, cut the outside dough ring with filling into pieces approximately 1 inch wide at the outer edge, forming wedge shapes into the pie, keeping it attached at the center. Twist each slice and continue until all slices are cut and twisted. The filling will be exposed on the top and bottom sides of the slices.
Remove the bowl and sprinkle the center with poppy seeds.
Bake the spinach pie at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden.

Our hostess served the Sunny Spinach Pie with
Alfredo sauce and fruit.