Piadina

I haven’t cooked much lately but I still like to make something nice on the weekends, and also try new recipes. And even though my husband and I are not big sandwich eaters, there are Saturdays when I make piadina for lunch: the dough is quick put together and since it is made with baking powder instead of yeast it does not take long to proof – it just rests for 30 minutes while you get on with other things in the kitchen.

Piadina is also great for it is very democratic: you can fill it with whatever you like or have in the fridge.

Piadina
own recipe

Dough:
3 cups (420g) all purpose flour
1 teaspoon table salt
1 ½ teaspoons baking poder
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2/3 cup (160ml) whole milk, room temperature
½ cup (120ml) water, room temperature

Fillings:
cheeses, prosciutto, ham, salad leaves, whatever you like

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, salt and baking powder – whisk well to evenly distribute the baking powder and salt throughout the flour. Add the olive oil, the milk and the water and mix with a wooden spoon until a dough starts to form. Start kneading – with your hands or with an electric mixer attached with the dough hook – until an elastic and smooth dough forms, about 8 minutes using the mixer and 12 by hand. Shape dough into a ball, transfer to a large bowl lightly brushed with olive oil and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Turn the dough into a lightly floured surface and divide it into 6 equal pieces – each one should be about 120g (4oz). Shape each portion into a ball and cover them with a clean kitchen towel to prevent them from drying out. Heat a large nonstick frying pan on high heat.

Working on a lightly floured surface, roll out each dough ball until you get a rough 23cm (9in) circle. Transfer the circle to the frying pan and cook for 2-3 minutes each side. When the piadina is cooked, slide it into a plate and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Cook the remaining dough the same way.

To serve, fill each piadinha with whatever you prefer and fold it in half – when I fill mine with cheese I place them back in the frying pan, over medium heat for a minute, until cheese is melted.
Serve immediately.

Makes 6