Piadina Romagnola: Traditional Italian Flatbread from Emilia-Romagna

Piadina Romagnola is one of the most recognisable foods from Emilia-Romagna, the region in northern Italy where I live. It's a simple flatbread, traditionally made with flour, lard, salt and water, then cooked on a hot griddle until characteristic brown spots appear on its surface.

If you've followed my blog for a while, you may remember that my earlier piadina recipe was one of the first posts I published after the blog's 2015 redesign. That version, which I still make regularly, includes a little sourdough discard and produces a slightly thicker, softer flatbread.

Recently, however, I wanted to return to a more traditional style: a thinner piadina, flexible enough to roll around a filling and perfect for making wraps or the filled flatbreads known as cassoni or crescioni.

This version contains no yeast or sourdough starter, just a pinch of baking soda. The dough is straightforward to prepare, although it benefits from a proper resting period before rolling.

It passed the family taste test, so I'm happy to share it with you. You can choose between this thinner, more traditional-style piadina and my softer version, depending on how you like your flatbread.

Piadina is delicious with classic fillings such as squacquerone cheese and rocket, cured meats or grilled vegetables. It is also the perfect starting point for my Cassoni Around the World experiments, in which this Romagnola speciality meets flavours inspired by other food cultures.

Traditional Piadina Romagnola Recipe

Yield

About 8–10 piadine, depending on their size

Prep time

15 minutes

Resting time

2 hours

Cooking time

A few minutes per piadina

Ingredients

• 1 kg plain flour
• 200 g lard
• 12 g fine salt
• A pinch of baking soda
• Warm water, as needed

Method

1. Place the flour, lard, salt and baking soda in a large bowl or on a clean work surface.
2. Gradually add warm water while kneading until you obtain a smooth, firm dough. Add the water little by little: the exact amount will depend on the flour.
3. Shape the dough into a ball, cover it with cling film or a clean tea towel, and leave it to rest at room temperature for about 2 hours.
4. Divide the dough into portions of approximately 100–120 g each.
5. On a lightly floured work surface, roll each portion into a round, thin flatbread, keeping the thickness as even as possible.
6. Heat a traditional piadina griddle (testo) or a heavy-based frying pan until hot.
7. Cook each piadina for a few minutes, turning it when characteristic dark spots begin to appear on the underside. Cook the other side until it is done but still flexible.
8. Stack the cooked piadine under a clean tea towel to keep them warm and soft while you cook the remaining portions.
9. Serve warm with your favourite fillings, or use them as the base for homemade cassoni.

Notes

• Adjust the water gradually. Different flours absorb different amounts of liquid, so add only as much as needed to obtain a firm, smooth dough.
• Don't skip the resting time. Resting makes the dough easier to roll out and helps prevent it from shrinking back.
• Use a properly heated cooking surface. The piadina should develop its characteristic brown spots without becoming brittle or burning.
• Prepare the dough ahead. You can make it the day before and keep it in the refrigerator, well covered. Bring it out a little before rolling so it is easier to handle.
• For cassoni: Roll the dough thinly, add your chosen filling, fold it into a half-moon and seal the edges before cooking.
• A note on tradition: Recipes for piadina vary across Romagna. Thickness, fat and leavening can differ from one family or area to another; this is the version I prefer when I want a thin, flexible flatbread.