Piadina Romagnola is a traditional Italian recipe (from Emilia-Romagna) for a classic flatbread made from a blend of flour, lard, olive oil, milk and water leavened with baking soda that can be served with various toppings. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Italian version of: Piadina Romagnola.
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This is a classic Italian flatbread from Emilia-Romagna. Each family will have its own version of the recipe and it’s most closely associated with Ravenna, Faenza, Forlì, Cesena and Rimini. These flatbreads are typically stuffed, with the most classic stuffing being Parma ham with Squacquerone (a fresh, tart and spreadable cow’s milk cheese) along with rocket (arugula). This was poor man’s food, that became popularized as street food during the 1960s. Interestingly moving north from the base of Emilia-Romanga the piadina has a tendency to become thicker and smaller (starting out at 3mm thick and 30cm in diameter and ending up at 4mm thick and 20-25cm in diameter). Both extra-virgin olive oil and lard are used, with olive oil giving a lighter and crispier piadina and lard providing for a richer and softer flatbread (combinations will give flatbreads in the middle).
Ingredients:
500g (4 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
5 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
75g (2 ¾ oz) lard from rendered pork fat (called “strutto” in italian), melted
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
150ml (4/5 cup) whole milk
Up to 100ml (1/2 cup) water
Method:
Combine the lard (if using), flour and salt in a bowl then mix in the milk, olive oil (if used) and baking soda. Mix in half the water then add enough of the remaining water to bring everything together as a dough. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes until quite smooth, uniform, soft but no sticky (if it’s sticky add more flour). Form into a ball, then cover with clingfilm (plastic wrap) and set aside to rest for at least 30 minutes at room temperature (if the dough is being prepared more than 1 hour in advance, you can keep it in the fridge and when needed remove it 1 hour before using it).
Heat a Montetiffi (a clay pan characteristic of Emiglia-Romana) or, alternatively, a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat if you’re eating piadina immediately. Divide the dough ball into about 6 pieces (about 140-150g each).
Working with one piece at a time, place a dough ball on a floured work surface and with a floured rolling pin into a circle about 4mm (1/6in) thick. If you’re making large quantities of this recipe or want to rolled out piadina few hours in advance, I suggest you to stack up the rolled out dough on a baking tray and pacing a sheet of baking paper between each piadina.
Once your pan is hot, add the first raw piadina, prick it all over with a fork, to avoid air bubbles and cook for about 2-3 minutes, or until brown spots form on the bottom. After this time, flip the flatbread over and cook for about the same time on the other side.
As the padina should be served hot, it’s best if you have your choice of fillings already to hand. Once cooked you can serve piadina immediately by placing your desired filling on a half and then close to a half moon or cutting it into triangles to use as a bread-substitute.
If you don’t serve the piadinas right away, you can stack them up, put into a well-sealed plastic bag, and keep them in the fridge for about a week or in the freezer for a couple of months. Then, when you want a quick meal just put cold or frozen piadina onto a heated pan until it’s warmed through (do not over cook).
For inspiration, here are some classic examples of filling:
Parma ham or other cured meats (salami), soft cheese (the original squacquerone or cream cheese, or ricotta) and rocket (arugula);
roasted/caramelized onions and sausage;
cooked ham, fontina/taleggio/asiago cheese and mushroom mayonnaise;
porchetta with onions;
smoked cheese and ham;
bell peppers and sausage;
cooked ham, mozzarella, mushrooms;
Parma ham, mozzarella and tomatoes;
mortadella cheese;
wurst and mustard (served hot dog style);
sausage, pepperoni, onion and hot sauce;
sausage, onion, bell peppers and beans;
bacon cooked with balsamic vinegar and radicchio;
squash/pumpkin, sausage and mozzarella;
roast-beef, mayonnaise, lettuce and tomato;
roast-beef, arugula/rocket and shredded Parmigiano Reggiano cheese;
roast-beef and roast potatoes;
roast potatoes and smoked cheese;
good quality tinned tuna, mozzarella, tomatoes, oregano and mayonnaise;
mozzarella and grilled vegetables;
smoked salmon, dill and mayonaise or sour cream;
smoked salmon and cream cheese;
tomatoes, aurugula/rocket, mushrooms and shredded Parmigiano Reggiano cheese;
roasted/caramelized onions and gorgonzola cheese (or blu cheese);
sliced turkey breast, fontina or taleggio or asiago cheese and mushrooms mayonnaise.
They can also be served with sweet filling, such as:
Nutella or Nutella and mascarpone or Nutella and banana;
fruit jam or ricotta and fruit jam;
honey and cheeses;
white chocolate and grated (shredded) coconut.
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