INGREDIENTS
500 g flour
90 ml water at room temperature
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
120 g lard
8 gr baking powder
100 ml milk
Piadina
Soft and crunchy at the same time, piadina is a wrap made of flour and lard; when cooked, it is traditionally filled with prosciutto, squacquerone cheese and arugula. A celebration of flavours that winds through the streets of Italy regaling diners with the taste of tradition
ORIGINS
In Italy, piadina is known as bread’s little sister. Made from the simplest of ingredients, piadina goes far back in history; in Ancient Rome it was prepared in special terracotta containers. Piadina started out as a simple, even poor dish; despite the passing of centuries, it has never undergone any variations.
Piadina is prepared today exactly as it was in the past, but while it is true that over time piadina has remained the same, its classic toppings of prosciutto, squacquerone cheese and arugula have undergone many variations. It Italy it is prepared with a wide variety of cold cuts, cheese and dressings, but always in carefully balanced proportions. Some have boldly made a sweet version with chocolate sauce, and as usual the intuition of Italian gourmets was the right one.
RECIPE
Piadina is easy to make, requiring no particular skills. The main trick is to get the right proportions in the ingredients so that it remains soft inside and slightly crunchy on the outside.
PREPARATION
Combine the flour, baking powder, lard and oil in the mixer. Blend all the ingredients together to form a smooth, elastic dough. Turn off the mixer; add the sugar, milk and salt, then continue mixing vigorously. With the mixer running, pour in the water slowly. When the dough starts to detach from the walls of the bowl, divide it into balls of about 50 grams each; cover with a dry kitchen towel and allow to rise for an hour. Then roll out the dough to a thickness of around 2 cm and cook on both sides in a hot non-stick pan until it is lightly coloured. Fill the piadina with thin slices of prosciutto, squacquerone cheese and arugula.
INTERESTING FACTS
Squacquerone is a soft, fresh cheese that you can replace with crescenza or stracchino.
