ITALIAN SHŌJIN SERIES: PIADINA FLATBREAD FROM EMILIA-ROMAGNA
INGREDIENTS:
INSTRUCTIONS:
- MAKING THE DOUGH. Put the flour, salt, and baking soda in a bowl. Add the olive oil and use your fingers to work it in. Keep mixing until you have a crumbly dough resembling sand. Pour in the water and stir to combine into a rough dough ball. Knead the ball until the surface is smooth. About 3-4 minutes. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and allow to rest for 30 minutes.
- PORTIONING THE DOUGH. Transfer the dough to a cutting board, and cut into four equal pieces. About 110 grams each. Cup the dough loosely in the palm of your hand, and work in a circular counter-clockwise motion to shape each piece into a smooth ball.
- ROLLING THE PIADINA. Use a rolling pin to roll each ball into a flat round disk, approximately 1/4" thick. The shape doesn't have to be perfect, but take care to roll it so that the thickness is uniform to ensure that it cooks evenly.
- COOKING THE PIADINA. Set a dry pan over medium heat. When hot, lay in one of the flatbreads. Cook until dough expands and air bubbles appear. This takes about 2 minutes or so. Check the underside of the dough. It should be evenly cooked with charred spots dotting the surface. Flip the dough and cook on the other side for an additional 2 minutes. Repeat until all of the flatbreads are cooked.
Note
STORAGE. This recipe is quite easy, and is best enjoyed straight from the pan. If you make a large batch and want to save some to eat later, you can wrap it in plastic wrap then foil and freeze it for up to one month. To reheat, simply allow the flatbreads to come to room temperature (min. 30 minutes), then sprinkle with a bit of water and warm for up to a minute on each side in a warm pan set over medium heat.