Italian Piadina: the traditional recipe for Italian flatbread

Italian piadina is the flagship of the Romagna gastronomic tradition for making the typical flatbread recipe. It is one of the most loved and popular street food in the world. It is a poor recipe, of ancient origins, prepared with flour, water, lard (or extra virgin olive oil) and salt, then cooked on the Romagna special pan and finally richly stuffed with cured meats, cheeses and vegetables. What we propose is the original version of the piadina, the most classic one, but there is also the typical Rimini version, which is thinner, or that of Cesena, lighter from the point of view of added fats. Tasty and soft, the piadina romagnola can be enriched with the ingredients you prefer and enjoyed for a quick lunch or to make delicious snacks to offer. You can also enjoy it instead of bread or as a snack, once spread with jam, chocolate cream or dried fruit butter.

Despite the similar dough, the piadina romagnola should not be confused with the Modenese tigella or crescentina. The difference lies in the cooking method and size: the latter are cooked in the traditional pan from which they take their name and are smaller and thicker. With the piadina dough you can also make the Romagna cress, a sort of calzone stuffed with the most disparate fillings and then cooked in a non-stick pan. So let’s find out how to prepare Italian piadina flatbread by following the tips and step by step recipe.

Tips

If you want to get an even softer piadina, you can replace part of the dose of water with milk.

For a vegetarian version, you can replace the lard with the same amount of extra virgin olive oil.

If you like, you can replace the baby spinach with arugula or a sliced ​​salad and fill your piadina with the cold cuts and cheeses of your choice. If you use a stretch-curd cheese, such as scamorza or provola, we recommend that you heat the stuffed piadina in a pan, just long enough to let the cheese melt.

You can also fill the piadina with smoked salmon, spreadable creamy cheese and avocado and, if you want a vegan variant, try chickpea hummus and grilled vegetables. For a lighter recipe, make this wholewheat piadina recipe.

How to store Italian Flatbread

The piadina romagnola can be stored in the refrigerator, in a special airtight container, for about 2 days. Once cooked, you can also freeze them, to always have them available if you need them.

How to make Italian Piadina

Collect the flour in a bowl, add the lard, salt, baking soda (1) and water, then start mixing everything.

As soon as the dough has taken shape, transfer to a work surface and knead it for a long time (2), until you get a smooth and homogeneous dough.

Divide the dough into 8 balls (3), cover them with a sheet of cling film and let it rest for at least 30 minutes.

After the resting time, roll out the piadina with a rolling pin to a thin and uniform thickness (4).

Heat a non-stick pan on the stove and, as soon as it is hot, arrange the piadina. Cook it for a few minutes, then turn it over (5) and continue cooking on the other side as well, until it is lightly golden.

Continue in this way until the dough is finished; as you cook the piadina, stack them in a serving dish and cover them with a clean cloth to keep them soft and warm (6).

Stuff the piadina with fresh cheese (7).

Add a few slices of raw ham (8) and a handful of baby spinach.

Fold in half and enjoy (9).