Piadina Romagnola (Italian Flatbread from Romagna)
Local name: Piadina romagnola
In short: Soft, thin griddled flatbread from Romagna, made with flour, olive oil and milk, folded around prosciutto, soft cheese and rocket. It takes about 35 min in total and makes 4 servings.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Resting
- 30 min
- Total
- 35 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 660 kcal
Piadina is the everyday flatbread of Romagna, the part of Emilia-Romagna facing the Adriatic. The dough is only flour, fat, salt and a little raising agent, rolled thin and cooked on a hot griddle until speckled with brown. It is eaten warm and folded around prosciutto, soft cheese and rocket, and sold from kiosks all along the coast. Homemade piadina is soft and pliable, not crisp, so cook it quickly and keep it warm under a towel.
Instructions
- Mix the flour, salt and baking powder in a bowl. Add the oil and milk and stir until a rough dough forms, then knead on a work surface for 5 minutes until smooth and elastic.
- Divide the dough into 4 balls, cover with a towel and rest for 30 minutes.
- Roll each ball into a thin circle about 22 cm (9 inches) wide and 3 mm (1/8 inch) thick, flouring lightly as needed. Prick all over with a fork.
- Heat a large dry non-stick pan or griddle over medium-high heat. Cook one piadina at a time for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes on the first side until pale golden with brown spots, then flip and cook for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes more.
- If air bubbles puff up, pierce them with a fork so the flatbread cooks flat. Stack the cooked piadine under a clean towel to keep them soft.
- Fill each piadina while warm with prosciutto, soft cheese and rocket, fold it in half and serve at once.
Tips
- Roll the dough thin and cook it on a very hot pan. A thick piadina turns doughy, and a pan that is too cool dries it out.
- Leftover piadine keep in the fridge for 3 days or in the freezer for 2 months. Reheat them in a dry pan for 30 seconds per side.
Questions and answers
Can I use water instead of milk for piadina?
Yes. Water makes a slightly drier, chewier piadina, while milk gives a softer one. Both are common in Romagna.
What do you fill piadina with?
Prosciutto with squacquerone or stracchino and rocket is the classic. Grilled vegetables, sausage and greens, mortadella or a chocolate hazelnut spread are also popular.
How do I keep piadina soft?
Wrap the cooked piadine in a clean towel as soon as they come off the pan. Steam softens them, and they stay pliable for up to an hour.
How long does it take to make Piadina Romagnola (Italian Flatbread from Romagna)?
About 35 min in total: 20 min of preparation and 15 min of cooking.
How many calories are in Piadina Romagnola (Italian Flatbread from Romagna)?
About 660 kcal per serving, with 25 g of protein, 75 g of carbohydrates and 29 g of fat. These values are estimates.
Nutrition per serving
| Calories | 660 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 25 g |
| Carbohydrates | 75 g |
| Fat | 29 g |
| Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugar | 2 g |
| Sodium | 1350 mg |
Estimated values, calculated from the ingredients.
