How to Make Italian Piadina (Flat bread)

Nothing like a soft and scrumptious piadina bread filled with Italian prosciutto, creamy burrata cheese and more fresh ingredients to make it a lunch to remember 

This post is written in collaboration with Tuxton Home. All opinions are mine alone.

What's wrong with me that I've never shared this recipe before?! It's really unbelievable given that I make piadine from scratch a lot of times at home. All the times that I'm looking for a fun, scrumptious and quick lunch or dinner idea that my family loves. And all those times that I miss home. Yes, this is one of those recipes that makes my mind fly 10,000 km across the ocean and reminds me of Italy. 

Piadine are originally from Emilia Romagna, but are very common all over Italy. If you haven't had piadina bread before, it's something in between a flour tortilla and a flat bread, and it can be filled with all kind of ingredients. You just have to let your imagination go wild here. Savory but also sweet ingredients work well ... Are you thinking what I'm thinking?!? Nutella and banana slices will go in there next time!

Today I filled my piadina with a couple of slices of prosciutto, a nice thick layer of creamy and delicate burratta cheese, some flavorful tomatoes and a handful of baby spinach.  If you've never tried burrata before, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!?  Burrata is pretty much the gorgeous sister of mozzarella. It has the same texture and flavor of fresh mozzarella on the outside, but it's filled with extra soft and super creamy cheese inside. Oh so good, especially when paired with salty Italian prosciutto and wrapped inside this warm and soft piadina bread ... pure heaven!

Piadina bread is not baked in the oven but cooked on the stove. As you can see today I used my new and fancy nonstick frypan from Tuxton Home (Concentrix 2-Piece Open Nonstick Frypan Set ). Not only this colorful pan is extremely beautiful but it's also made with high quality materials.  It's a stainless steel pan with a ceramic nonstick coating that is perfectly non-stick, free of PTFE and PFOA chemicals. It has a stainless steel ergonomically designed long handle, stainless steel rivets, and a thick 3 mm base that ensures an even and quick heating. It can be used on any heating surface and it's oven safe up to 500 degrees F. Sounds amazing, right?!?

I ordered mine in cobalt blue to match my Concentrix 12-piece dinnerware set. 
I know. I know. But when you spend as much time as I do in the kitchen, color coordination with pan, dishes, glasses, forks ... just comes natural :)

And here it is! My recipe to make piadina from scratch. It doesn't take many ingredients and not a lot of time. This recipe doesn't need yeast but just a little baking soda which means you won't need to wait long for the dough to rise. The traditional recipe asks for lard which you could substitute for olive oil for a healthier alternative. Once you roll out the dough in a thin disc just cook on a non stick pan for a few minutes on each sides. Fill with fresh ingredients when still on the pan. Fold in half and devour when still hot and fragrant.

Thank you Tuxton Home for the amazing pans. Make sure to check their website here for more gorgeous products. 

INGREDIENTS:

YIELD: 6 piadine (9 inch each)

1. • 3  cups (450 gr) all purpose flour
   • 1 teaspoon baking soda
   • 1 teaspoon salt
   • 4 oz (115 gr) lard
   • 1/4 cup (60 ml) milk
   • 1/2 cup (120 ml)  water plus a couple of tablespoons
   • about 8 oz (250 gr) prosciutto
   • about 12 oz (340 gr) burrata cheese (3 balls)
   • 2 medium tomatoes
   • green salad (mixed, baby spinach, arugula ...)

PREPARATION:

TIME: about 1 hour

Combine 3 cups of flour, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, 1 teaspoon of salt and the lard in a mixing bowl. Beat or mix until evenly combined.

Add the milk and water while mixing, some at a time until the dough comes into a ball.

Add more water if necessary (one tablespoon at a time). Keep mixing/kneading until smooth (about 5 minutes)
Make the dough into a log and divide the dough into 6 pieces (similar in size).

Roll each into a ball.

Place on a big enough plate and cover with plastic wrap.

Let it rest for 30 minutes or longer.

Roll out each ball to a 9 to 10 inch disk (about 2 mm thick).
Let the uncooked piadina sit while you roll them all out, and roll again (so the dough will not shrink as much when cooked).

Heat the skillet of a couple of minutes. No need to grease if you're using a non-stick pan.
Cook each piadina over medium heat, a few minutes per side, until golden and cooked through. Make sure to spin the piadina while cooking so it won't stick to the pan and will cook more evenly.
Add the baby spinach (or salad) on half of the piadina. Top with prosciutto, sliced burrata and sliced tomatoes. Fold in half and enjoy when still warm!