Joanne Weir Follow @ChefJoanneWeir

Piadini Dough

Piadini are thin Italian flatbreads, typically prepared in the Romagna region.  The dough was traditionally cooked on a terracotta dish (called teggia in the Romagnol), although nowadays flat pans or electric griddles are commonly used.  When I made this on "Gets Fresh", I filled it with Alaskan canned salmon and a wonderful melting cheese, popped it in the oven to melt and garnished with carrot ribbons.  Get creative and fill this with anything you like!

Makes 6  eight-inch piadini

Ingredients

½ teaspoon active dried yeast
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm milk (110°-115°F.)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or lard that has been melted and cooled
3 cups (12 ounces) of Italian 00 flour or unbleached all- purpose flour
1 teaspoon fine sea salt

Instructions

Dissolve the yeast in the milk in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the dough blade. Let the mixture stand 5 minutes. Pour in the olive oil or lard. Add the flour and salt and process until a ball of dough forms. The dough should feel soft and silky and not stick to your hands. Transfer the dough to a work surface and knead it a few times with your hands.

Transfer the dough to a bowl. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise for 30 minutes.


Divide the dough into six equal pieces. Form each into a ball and put on an oiled baking sheet. The dough can be refrigerated up to overnight (for a long slow rise) or kept at room temperature until doubled in size, 1 to 1 ½ hours.


Roll the dough balls out on a lightly floured surface to an 8-inch circle (or pull and stretch them by hand). Let them rest a few minutes.
When ready to cook, pour enough olive oil in to an 8-inch cast iron skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Test the oil by dipping an edge of the dough into the oil—it should give off a lively sizzle. Lay the piadino into the pan and cook until the underside is lightly golden in spots, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook until the dough is cooked through, about 2 minutes.

Top or fill as you like.