Piadina
Traditionally filled with cheese and salumi, piadina is the perfect Italian lunch without the heaviness of standard sandwich bread.
Makes6 piadine
Prep40 minutes
Cook10 minutes
The culinary magic of flour and water extends to nearly every region of the world, and Italians have famously harnessed it into the national treasure that is pizza. Far less known, at least outside of Italy, is the humble piadina — a flatbread with ancient origins, born around Rome in 1200 BC. Like pizza dough, piadina is leavened — although only slightly and using baking powder instead of yeast. Piadina dough is griddled on a flat top or in a skillet (or it can be grilled), but the goal in cooking piadine (plural) is to keep it soft and malleable to fill and fold with various delicious toppings.
What Is a Piadina?
If a tortilla and a flatbread had a baby, her name would be piadina. Traditionally filled with cheese and salumi and folded or rolled, it’s the perfect Italian lunch without the heaviness of standard sandwich bread. The thickness and diameter of piadine vary from region to region across Italy, but they’re typically made to order at special piadine kiosks called piadinerie.
Main Ingredients in Piadine
Traditionally, piadine are made with lard or, in modern times, shortening. This recipe relies on olive oil, the unofficial fat of Italy, instead. Feel free to use a good olive oil with strong flavor, if you have it. Warm milk and water help the flour hydrate faster, resulting in a short resting time and less kneading. The fat in milk also lends a beautiful golden-brown color when griddling the piadine, not unlike brushing muffins and biscuits with cream for a nice golden-brown top before baking.
How to Store Piadine?
As piadine are finished cooking, they are best stored on a plate covered with a towel to keep them soft and protected from air. If you have leftovers, after they’ve fully cooled, keep them in a zip-top bag at room temperature so they stay soft and pliable for filling.
Piadina Recipe
Traditionally filled with cheese and salumi, piadina is the perfect Italian lunch without the heaviness of standard sandwich bread.
Prep time 40 minutes
Cook time 10 minutes
Makes 6 piadine
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups
all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 1/2 teaspoons
kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon
baking powder
- 3/4 cup
whole milk
- 1/4 cup
water
- 1/4 cup
olive oil
Filling options: ricotta cheese, mozzarella, thinly sliced prosciutto, arugula, sliced roasted red peppers, or a combination
Instructions
Place 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, and 1 teaspoon baking powder in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Place 3/4 cup whole milk and 1/4 cup water in a small microwave-safe bowl or measuring cup, and microwave until warm, 30 to 45 seconds.
Make a well in the center of the bowl of flour mixture. Pour the milk and 1/4 cup olive oil into the well. Mix gently with your hands until all flour is hydrated, about 30 seconds.
Sprinkle a work surface with 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour. Transfer the dough onto the flour and roll it around to coat in flour. Knead until the dough is smooth and very supple but not sticky, about 3 1/2 minutes. Wrap the dough completely in plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for 20 minutes to allow the gluten to relax.
Cut the dough into 6 pieces. Lightly flour the work surface. Working with one piece of dough at time (keep the remaining covered so they dont' dry out), roll out into a round about 10 inches wide — it’s okay if your rounds are not perfectly round.
Heat a medium cast iron or nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 1 piadina and cook until some bubbles begin to form on the top, and the bottom is light golden brown, about 1 minute. Poke any large bubbles with a knife or tines of a fork, as they will prevent even browning. Flip the piadina and cook until the second side until light golden brown, 30 seconds to 1 minute more.
Transfer to a plate and cover with a clean kitchen towel to keep warm. To fill, top one half of each piadina with your choice of filling ,then fold to close.
Recipe Notes
Storage: As piadine are finished cooking, they are best stored on a plate covered with a towel to keep them soft and protected from air. If you have leftovers, after they’ve fully cooled, keep them in a ziploc bag at room temperature for up to 3 day so they stay soft and pliable for filling.