A classic bread from North-Central Italy, Piadina is a delicious, no yeast flatbread that is perfect for making sandwiches or as an appetizer! You don’t even need any special ingredient or equipment to make this Italian Flatbread at home — just a rolling pin!
(*This post contains some affiliate links)
If you are not familiar with Piadina, it’s an Italian flatbread with no yeast; and it originated from the region of Emilia-Romagna. Traditionally made with lard (or strutto), it is now commonly made with olive oil as well.
Within its region of origin, there is still some noticeable difference in how each city is preparing theirs.
Take the city of Ravenna, for example, they make theirs slightly thicker than what you will find in Rimini — or if you continue close to the border to San Marino, not as thin as Rimini’s either.
Regardless of that difference, one thing is for sure; they are always delicious!
WHAT YOU NEED TO PREPARE ITALIAN FLATBREAD
CAN I USE ANY TYPE OF FLOUR?
If you don’t have Tipo ’00’, all-purpose flour would work just as well.
I use all-purpose flour for this recipe because I ran out of Tipo ’00’ flour that my mother-in-law sends us here in Stockholm. (For real, she does that!)
CAN I REPLACE MILK WITH PLAIN WATER?
I believe most recipes are using water with olive oil.
However, I decided to use milk instead because that is how my mother-in-law makes her Piadina (they live near Rimini). She said water is excellent with lard, but with olive oil, milk would add more flavor.
She is right. 🙂
HOW TO MAKE PIADINA – STEP by STEP
Start by mixing the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl (photo 1).
Add the olive oil and milk (photo 2).
Use a fork to mix everything until a dough begins to form (photo 3).
Transfer the mixture on a flat surface and knead until you get a smooth ball of dough.
Wrap the dough in plastic and set aside for about forty-five minutes (photo 4).
Unwrap the plastic from the dough and cut it into eight equal portions (photo 5).
Start preparing your skillet for cooking the bread by placing it medium-high heat.
Use a rolling pin to flatten and form each portion of dough into a flatbread, no more than 25-cm in diameter (photo 6).
Use a fork to prick the flatbread (photo 7).
Once your skillet is ready, place the flatbread in the middle of it (photo 8).
Cook each side for two to four minutes, or until parts of the bread has turned slightly darker in color.
Serve.
TOP TIPS FOR MAKING THIS NO YEAST FLATBREAD
- Keep the dough covered with a clean kitchen cloth when you are not kneading or rolling them. It keeps it from drying.
- If the dough springs back when you’re rolling it, it has not rested enough. From my experience, if you set the dough aside for at least 45 minutes, that is always enough.
- This is not a sticky dough, but it still helps if you dust your board with a bit of flour, and on your rolling pin when you start rolling them out.
IDEAS FOR SERVING PIADINA:
- You can use them for sandwiches. Use your favorite salami (or in this case, mortadella!), a bit of fontina, or any soft cheese and some greens.
- Serve them as appetizers on their own. I love dipping them on fruity extra virgin olive oil, with a dash of sea salt.
- Serve them as an accompaniment for some stew, like Roman-Style Chicken (Pollo Alla Romana) or Easy Chicken Cacciatore — they are great for cleaning the sauce off your plate. 🙂
IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR MORE ITALIAN BREAD, THEN YOU MIGHT LIKE THESE POSTS:
OR IF YOU WANT MORE IDEAS FOR MAKING BREAD, THEN HEAD STRAIGHT TO MY BREAD COLLECTION!
Italian Flatbread (Piadina)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (or Tipo '00')
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 6 tbsp olive oil
- 1 & 1/3 cups milk
Instructions
Preparing the Dough:
- Using a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine and mix flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Add the olive oil and milk.
- Mix and knead until you get a smooth dough.
- Form dough into a ball and cover with plastic.
- Set aside for about 45 minutes.
Rolling your Piadina:
- Remove plastic from dough and divide the dough into 8 equal portions.
- Form a small ball of each portion, then use a rolling pin to form a circle of about 23-25 cm in diameter.
- Use a fork to prick the dough.
Cooking this No Yeast Flatbread:
- Heat a medium-sized skillet or pan over medium-high heat.
- Once the skillet is ready, place the dough of flatbread and adjust the heat to medium.
- Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until you see darker portions on the bread.
- Turn and cook the other side for another 3 to 4 minutes.
- Remove from the pan and serve.
Notes
- Traditionally, Tipo '00' flour is used, but all-purpose flour is an excellent substitute.
- Water can be used instead of milk, but milk adds more flavor to this Italian flatbread.
- When not working on the dough (or a portion of it), make sure you keep it covered with a clean kitchen cloth to prevent it from drying.
- When you're rolling them out, make sure you dust your board with a bit of flour -- same goes for your rolling pin. It is not a sticky dough, but this trick still helps a lot!
Leave a Reply