Piadina Romagnola

These Traditional Piadina Romagnola are rich, soft, pliable, with a slightly crispy exterior, and taste so better than anything store-bought! Made with just 5 ingredients, this homemade piadina recipe comes together quickly, either by hand or with a stand mixer, and makes perfect wraps or a sandwich base for a variety of delicious sweet and savory fillings.

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I’ve experimented with many flatbreads—Turkish bazlama, 3 ingredient unleavened bread, no-yeast flatbread, and even gluten-free communion bread and gluten-free naan—and, to be honest, I drew the inspiration for this classic piadina romagnola recipe from the traditional methods used at Ristorante Piadineria Bar Ilde, which has been serving traditional Romagna dishes since 1958. And after only one simple attempt, I created this recipe that yields perfectly soft, pliable Italian flatbreads with that signature, slightly crispy exterior.

Ingredients You’ll Need

In this recipe, I use all-purpose flour instead of bread flour because it provides superior tenderness and softness. The rest of the ingredients are basic bread staples: fat, water, baking soda, and salt. While piadina is usually made with lard as a fat, I use olive oil as a substitution (a great option for keeping the recipe halal ). For those who prefer lard, I have listed the lard measurements in the ingredient list below.

In Pictures: How to Make This Italian Flatbread

The first step is to incorporate the fat. If you use lard, you must first dissolve it with the lukewarm warm water into the flour, until the fat is fully incorporated. This process makes subsequent mixing and kneading much easier. If you use olive oil, you can simply skip the dissolving step, and add all the ingredients (flour, oil, water, baking powder, and salt) to the bowl, and begin mixing immediately.

Next, add the rest of the ingredients and combine them to form a shaggy dough. This usually takes about 3 to 4 minutes. Ensure you incorporate all the flour from the sides of the bowl. Do not add too much water; you want a firm, somewhat dense dough, but still easily kneadable. (You can easily make this dough in a stand mixer, see step 1 in the recipe card below.)

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Knead the dough using the heels of your hands, stretching and folding it with gentle motions. If you’d like to see a photo of the dough before and after this process, see the 2 pictures below.

Once your dough is properly kneaded, let it rest.

Time to Roll & Cook

Take your dough and divide it into 6 pieces, roughly equal in size, about 3.5 ounces ( 100g) each. They don’t have to be exact. A bench scraper and a kitchen scale are really helpful for dividing the dough into evenly sized pieces.

Take a piece of the divided dough and stretch the top of it while pinching and sealing the bottom, making sure the dough balls are smooth on top. This is the same way we shape the dough balls for no-yeast flatbread and bazlama, , before rolling them out..

Arrange and wrap them tightly with plastic wrap. Do not use a kitchen towel or aluminum foil, as the plastic wrap is necessary to keep the dough balls soft for rolling.

Take one dough ball and keep the rest wrapped. Flatten it slightly, and then roll it out with a rolling pin until it reaches an 8-inch (20 cm) diameter and a 1/4 inch (5 mm) thickness.

Once baked, transfer the piadina to a plater and cover it tightly with a kitchen towel.

Piadina Variations

I’ve only personally tried the halal piadina with my choice of fillings and toppings that I’ve listed below, but I made sure to do a deep search to find the exact ingredients used for most classic Italian topping variations—and here are the options I found:

• Classic Piadina: Cured meat (prosciutto di Parma), Squacquerone cheese, fresh tomatoes, and arugula.
• Cheeses Piadina: A combination of Mozzarella, Pecorino, Stracchino, and Gorgonzola cheeses.
• Vegetable Piadina: Squacquerone cheese, fresh mushrooms, dressed arugula, and fresh tomatoes.
• Sausage Piadina: Artisan sausage, stewed onion, and Squacquerone cheese.
• Chicken Piadina: Chicken breast, lettuce, fresh tomatoes, and mushroom sauce.
• 3 Color Piadina: Mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, and lettuce (A simple, fresh combination).
• Mediterranean Piadina: Tuna, anchovies, mayonnaise, and fresh tomatoes.
• Chocolate Piadina: Nutella
• Chocolate Mascarpone Piadina: Made from Nutella and Mascarpone.
• Jam Piadina: Butter and jam.
• Honey Piadina: Honey.

Whole Wheat and Gluten-Free Options

While I haven’t personally tested these specific options, I can confidently offer guidance based on my experience making whole wheat bran bread and various gluten-free loaves. You can successfully create whole wheat piadina by replacing up to half of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour. And for the gluten-free option, simply substitute all the wheat flour with a good quality gluten-free bread flour blend, such as GF King Arthur bread flour, as I make this gluten-free naan recipe. You will need to add some extra water when preparing both of these doughs.

Piadina Romagnola Recipe

Hafedh Garfa

Made simply with just 5 basic pantry ingredients, this homemade recipe is surprisingly quick to prepare, requiring minimal resting time. Whether you choose to mix the dough by hand or use a stand mixer, you'll achieve a perfect base for authentic Italian wraps.

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Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Bake Time 12 minutes mins

Rest Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 22 minutes mins

Course flatbread

Cuisine Italian, Mediterranean

Servings 6 piadina

Ingredients

  

Bread

• 3 cups (360 grams) all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
• 3 and ½ tablespoons (50 grams) extra virgin olive oil or 1/4 cup (60 grams) lard
• ¾ cup (180ml) lukewarm water, , warmed to about 110°F (43°C)
• 1 teaspoon (7 grams) sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon (1 gram) baking soda

Fillings & Toppings

• 15 ounces (420 grams) squacquerone cheese
• 3 ounces (85 grams) fresh Arugula
• 24 tomato slices, each about 1/4 inch thick, about 3 fresh tomatoes
• 18 ounces (500 grams) smoked chicken salami
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 ½ tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• ½ teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

 

• Make the dough: Place the flour in a large mixing bowl and make a well in the center. Pour the fat (oil or lard into the well. Gradually add the lukewarm water and pinch and rub the fat into the flour until the fat is fully dissolved and incorporated into the flour. Add the salt and baking powder and combine all the ingredients together for 3-4 minutes until a shaggy mass of dough from and all the flour has been thoroughly incorporated. *Alternatively, if you prefer using a stand mixer, simply put all the ingredients into the mixer's bowl and use a dough hook to combine them for 3-4 minutes and in the next step knead the dough on medium speed for 8-10 minutes.
• Knead the dough: Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead for 10-12 minutes until it becomes smooth and elastic. If the dough sticks, lightly sprinkle the surface of the dough with just enough flour to make it easier to handle. Do not add more flour than necessary, as you do not want the dough to be too dry. After the kneading process, the dough should be smooth but firm, non-sticky, and springy to the touch—when you poke it, it slowly bounces back.
• Rest: Shape the dough into a smooth ball and place it back in the mixing bowl. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let the dough rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
• Divide: Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces, about 3.5 ounces (100 grams) each. Use a bench scraper for clean cuts and a kitchen scale for precise measurement. Shape each piece into a smooth ball. Wrap the shaped ball tightly with plastic wrap to prevent drying and crusting on the surface. Let rest for 10-15 minutes. This relaxes the gluten and ensures the balls are easy to roll out in the next step.
• Preheat a 10-inch round nonstick griddle or cast-iron skillet over medium heat. The griddle is ready when a drop of water sizzles vigorously and evaporates immediately on its surface.
• Roll & Cook: Remove one dough ball and keep the remaining balls tightly covered. (You do not need to flour your work surface or rolling pin.) Using a rolling pin, roll the dough ball into an 8-inch (20cm) circle about 1/4 inch (5 mm) thick. Lightly coat the hot griddle or skillet with oil. Immediately place the rolled piadina dough onto the hot griddle. Cook for 1 minute until dark brown spots appear underneath. Use a slotted turner to flip the piadina over and cook for another 1 minute, or until it is golden brown. If the piadina begins to puff up, simply pierce any airy spot with a fork. Once baked, transfer the piadina to a plate and cover it tightly with a kitchen towel.
• Repeat the rolling and cooking process with the remaining dough balls. For best results, clean the griddle or skillet with a paper towel between each piece to remove any burnt residue. Monitor the heat carefully: if the naan is browning too quickly, slightly reduce the heat; if it is taking too long to brown or failing to puff, increase the heat slightly.
• Make the sandwich: Spread about 2.5 ounces (70 grams) of squacquerone cheese over half of the piadina and fold it. Place the piadina back onto the hot griddle (on the least hot side), until the cheese slowly melts and liquefies. When the cheese is nice and stringy, remove the piadina from the griddle and transfer it to a plate. Spread evenly 0.5 ounces (15 grams) of arugula, 4 tomato slices, and 3 ounces (85 grams) of smoked chicken salami over the melted cheese. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and season with a pinch of salt. Fold the piadina in half again and press gently to secure the filling.

Notes

Storage Tips: Piadina tastes best when fresh, but you can store leftovers. Simply wrap leftovers tightly in plastic wrap and keep them at room temperature for a maximum of 24 hours.

Pans: It’s best to use a cast-iron skillet to cook the piadina flatbread, but a round griddle  will also work.

Special Tools (affiliate links): Kitchen Scale & Liquid Measuring Cup / Measuring Cups & Spoons |Steel or Glass Mixing Bowl with a Silicon Spatula / Stand Mixer | Bench Scraper |Rolling Pin | Square Nonstick Pan / Round Nonstick Pan / Cast Iron Skillet | Pastry Brush | Slotted Turner.

Piadina Sandwich Varieties: Check the blog article above for a variety of possible toppings and fillings for Piadina Romagnola, including both sweet and savory options.

Double Batch: To prepare a double batch, simply double every ingredient listed in the recipe card. All instructions for mixing, kneading, rising, rolling, and baking la Piadina Romagnola remain the same. The only change is that your total preparation and cooking time will increase as you handle twice the amount of dough.