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5 from 2 votes

Italian flatbread recipe - authentic piadina

A classic Italian street food from le Marche called Piadina or Crescia sfogliata. A delicious and flavorsome Italian flatbread sandwich, super crispy and fragrant. Perfect to be filled with cured meat, cheese and veggies. Serve it for a game night, appetizer, or easy dinner.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time4 minutes
Resting time2 hours
Total Time2 hours 19 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 5 people
Calories: 545kcal

Equipment

  • Medium Bowl
  • Fork
  • Rolling Pin
  • Small round tip knife
  • Medium non-stick frying pan
  • Spatula

Ingredients

  • 440 gr plain flour 11% protein
  • 1 medium eggs room temperature
  • 150 gr whole milk
  • 50 gr water room temperature
  • 1 gr ground black pepper
  • 5 gr salt
  • 100 gr lard room temperature

Instructions

Make the dough

  • Add the flour, the egg, salt, black peppers, milk, and water in a medium bowl. Alternatively, use a stand mixer to make the dough. Mix all the ingredients with a fork very quickly, once all the ingredients are combined together pour it on a work surface. Work the dough until you have a smooth ball, cover it with some cling film or cloth. Leave it to rest for 1 hour.

Divide the dough

  • Divide the dough into 5 balls of 135 gr each.

Roll the balls

  • Dust the work surface and the top of the ball with some flour. Roll each ball to approximately 27 cm in diameter with a rolling pin. Keep dusting with some flour if too sticky. Spread the lard on each ball very gently with a round tip knife, making sure to don't break the layer of the dough.
  • Roll the piada on itself, then pull the sides with your hands. Don't pull too hard or it will break. When you have a long tube-like, start by twisting it and rolling it on itself to make a snail shape.
  • Cover the snails with cling film and leave them to rest in the fridge from 1 up to 48hours. The resting time depends on the time you have. The more it stays in the fridge, the more crispy will be.

Roll the piadina

  • Dust the work surface and the top of the snails with some flour. Now, roll each snail to approximately 26 cm diameter and 3 mm thin with a rolling pin. Keep dusting with some flour if too sticky. Don't over-roll up the snail, it shouldn't be very thin. Store the round bases on a plate with a dust of flour, to prevent them from sticking to each other.

Toast the piadina

  • Heat a medium non-stick frying pan on medium heat. Once the pan is hot, just place the piadina in the pan. Turn over the piada once it is starting to get bubbles on the surface and it is turning golden-brown under, about 2 minutes. Use a spatula to flip it over. Watch the cooking of the piada to prevent burning it. Have a look every now and then on the down side to see if it is turning black. Turn down the heat if is too hot.
  • Now cook it for further 2 minutes to the other side. Cover the piadina with a kitchen towel while toasting the others, this will keep them warm.

Serve them

  • Serve the piada with cheese, cured meat, and veggie.

Notes

What do you put inside flatbread?
Above I have listed all the ingredients that would match with the piada. Here are some of my fav way to fill the flatbread. The classic is Parma ham or bresaola with rocket (arugula) and stracchino (or any other soft cheese). Another great match would be stir-fried greens or grilled veggies with roasted sausage and pecorino cheese. Again, stir-fried greens or grilled veggies with pecorino or any other soft cheese.
Can I use butter instead of lard for flatbread?
No, I wouldn't swap the butter with the lard. The reason why is that the lard gives a different taste and texture to it.
How long does flatbread last in the fridge?
The flatbread will have to be kept in the fridge for up to 2 days, once cooked. Keep it wrapped in aluminum foil.
Can you freeze flatbread?
Yes, of course. I suggest you freeze the flatbread once it has a snail shape in a container with a lid for up to 1 month. Take them out from the freezer 5 hours before cooking them and rolled them with a rolling pin. Use some flour to prevent the flatbread to stick to your working surface.
How do you reheat flatbread?
You could reheat the flatbread in a preheated medium non-stick frying pan for 1 minute on each side.
Italian flatbread recipe, Piadina recipe