Piadina – also called piada – it is the quintessential bread from Romagna (the Southern part of Emilia Romagna regione): it goes with just about everything from ham and sausage to soft cheeses, as well as chard and arugula. You really are spoiled for choice!
According to the Consortium that protects this mainstay of our gastronomy, as early as Etruscan times, bread made with coarse flour, cereals and circular in shape was used in the areas of what is now Romagna: the ancestor of today’s piadina.

Its name is said to derive from plàdena, the wooden board on which bread was kneaded.
Then, the dough was rolled into 20-cm disks, to be cooked on stone or cast-iron. Today, a good nonstick pan will do the job.

The original recipe calls for the use of lard, in my version I used my beloved extra virgin olive oil.

Ingredients for 2 persons
125 g 0 of all-purpose flour
65 g lukewarm water
20 g extra virgin olive oil
3 g salt

Time: 10 minutes + 30 minutes resting

Let’s cook!

Mix the ingredients in a bowl, knead until smooth and soft. Let rest tightly covered with a plate for 30 minutes.

Divide the dough into two parts and roll them out separately with a rolling pin, giving them a circular shape, about 20-22 cm in diameter.

Cook them over a nonstick or cast-iron, lightly oiled pan for about 2 minutes per side. If bubbles form during cooking, pop them with a fork. The piadina will be ready when it has reached a nice golden color.

Stuff it with your favorite ingredients and serve immediately.

Piadina, when cooked, can be stored for about 2 days in the refrigerator, placed in an airtight container, or for about 1 month in the freezer, always tightly closed in a container or large bag.

The moment you want to use it, whether it is stored in the refrigerator or in the freezer, simply heat it on both sides on a nonstick pan.

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