La Piadina is a soft and fluffy Italian flatbread that can be filled with anything you like from cured meats, cheese and grilled veggies. So delicious, easy to make and yeast free, perfect for lunch or a snack!
La Piadina Romagna is a soft and delicious flatbread from Emilia-Romagna traditionally made with lard (although this recipe uses olive oil) and cooked on terracotta.
It's something we ate all the time in Italy for lunches or for taking on picnics, it's just so delicious!
The thing is, I soon discovered that the Piadina flatbreads sold in bars or sandwich shops are completely different from those sold in supermarkets which were often dry and tasteless.
And because I wanted to make them at home the solution was to come up with an Italian flatbread dough that was soft, delicious and that wrapped around the filling perfectly without cracking!
This is the recipe that we've been using for years now and it works every time!
Ingredients you need
All you need is a few store cupboard ingredients: flour, water, olive oil, baking powder and salt. See the photo below that shows all the ingredients you need.
How to make Piadina Italian Flatbreads - step by step
Add the flour, baking powder and salt to a bowl, stir so everything is evenly mixed through (photo 1).
Make a well in the flour and add the water and olive oil. Stir everything together to form a dough (photos 2-4).
Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead to form a smooth ball (make sure not to over-knead the dough it only takes a minute or so).
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap (cling film) and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes (photo 5).
Pre-heat a large round skillet or frying pan on the stove. Divide the dough in four and roll each piece into a thin round flatbread shape (don’t worry if they aren’t perfectly round) (photos 6-8)
Heat each flatbread one at a time on the skillet, once it’s puffed up and looks golden turn it over and cook on the other side. It should take around 2 minutes each side (photos 9-11).
Fill each flatbread with your desired fillings and fold in half (photo 12).
Filling ideas
Filling options are endless when it comes to Italian flatbreads you can get creative and choose whatever you like; here are some of my favourites that you could try.
- Prosciutto, mozzarella, tomato
- Mozzarella, tomato and homemade pesto
- Grilled zucchini or eggplant, mozzarella and red pepper flakes
- Tuna mixed with mayonnaise, tomato, mozzarella or smoked scamoza, arugula (rocket)
- Mortadella and burrata
- Mortadella and Insalata Russa (Russian Salad)
Top tips and recipe FAQs
- Using cups - If you're using cups to measure the flour make sure to spoon it into the cups instead of scooping or it'll be too tightly packed. Lightly level off any excess flour.
- Baking powder - you can leave the baking powder out if you need to I've made these many times without it and they are still delicious it just helps lighten the dough slightly.
- Rolling out - make sure you dust your work surface very lightly with flour and that there's not too much excess on the flatbreads before cooking.
- To keep them soft - place the Piadina flatbreads on a plate and wrap them with a clean kitchen towel to help keep them soft. This is a great tip if you're making them in advance.
I love to use Italian 00 flour for making these and it's what's traditionally used but you can also use all-purpose flour which I've tried and tested and it works great.
It's best to let the Piadina dough rest for at least 30 minutes before using but you can make it a couple of days in advance and store it in the fridge.
Yes, raw flatbread dough can be wrapped in plastic wrap then aluminium foil and frozen. Thaw completely before using.
More Italian lunch ideas
- Mozzarella in Carrozza - Fried Mozzarella Sandwiches
- Eggplant bruschetta with mozzarella
- Bruschetta al pomodoro
- La Cecina - Chickpea flatbread
If you tried these Piadina Flatbreads or any other recipes on the blog please be sure to leave me a comment below to let me know how you got on, I love hearing from you. You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I’m getting up to.
La Piadina Italian Flatbread
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups 00 flour or all-purpose flour (200g)
- ½ cup warm water (120ml)
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Add the flour, baking powder and salt to a bowl, stir so everything is evenly mixed through.
- Make a well in the flour and add the water and olive oil. Stir everything together to form a dough.
- Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead to form a smooth ball (make sure not to over knead the dough it only takes a minute or so).
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap (cling film) and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Pre-heat a large round skillet or frying pan on the stove. Divide the dough in four and roll each piece into a thin round flatbread shape (don’t worry if they aren’t perfectly round).
- Heat each flatbread one at a time on the skillet, once it’s puffed up and looks golden turn it over and cook on the other side. It should take around 2 minutes each side.
- Fill each flatbread with your desired fillings and fold in half.
Notes
- Using cups - If you're using cups to measure the flour make sure to spoon it into the cups instead of scooping or it'll be too tightly packed. Lightly level off any excess flour.
- Baking powder - you can leave the baking powder out if you need to I've made these many times without it and they are still delicious it just helps lighten the dough slightly.
- Rolling out - make sure you dust your work surface very lightly with flour and that there's not too much excess on the flatbreads before cooking.
- To keep them soft - place the Piadina flatbreads on a plate and wrap them with a clean kitchen towel to help keep them soft. This is a great tip if you're making them in advance.
Nutrition
- I always use extra virgin olive oil in all of my recipes unless stated otherwise
- When I use canned or jarred tomatoes of any kind I always use this brand for the best results and flavour
- All vegetables are medium sized unless stated otherwise
- All recipes are tested and developed using a fan (convection) oven
- Find out more about how nutrition is calculated.
- Check out our must have Italian Pantry Staples.
- You can also find all our Essential Kitchen Tools for Italian Cooking.
Janie Whittle
I made these today and they were excellent. Thank you for the recipe.
Patricia
I don’t, at the moment, have the named flours but a supply of bread flour and sr flour. Would either of these be useable please. I want to make these this evening. Thank you.
Inside the rustic kitchen
Hi Patricia, haven't tested this recipe with any of those flours but bread flour should work. If you use self-raising leave out the additional baking powder. Let me know how it goes!
Scirver
Place under a bell immediately after cooking for better conservation and to preserve the softness.
Mark
They are good! I brush them with a bit of olive oil before I fry them. I feel like it keeps them softer, and a little tastier
Inside the rustic kitchen
Great tip, so happy you enjoyed them!
Angelina
Perfect! Thank you so much for this recipe. Ideal for when we ran of bread whilst isolating. Brought back memories of Italy.
Angela
Oh these look so delicious! Mine always do seem to crack, so definitely going to try your recipe! Yum! Thanks!