• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Plant Based School
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • About Us
  • ITA
  • Navigation Menu: Social Icons

    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
    • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • About Us
  • All Recipes
  • Mains
  • Pasta
  • Sweet
  • Collections
  • ENG
    • ITA
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Breads

    Italian Flatbread (Piadina)

    Published: Apr 8, 2022 · by Nico

    Jump to Recipe

    Piadina is a thin yeast-free Italian flatbread that you can fill with anything you like and enjoy for a light lunch, snack, or dinner.

    Our recipe is easy to make, with four simple ingredients: flour, water, olive oil, and salt.

    Piadina Italian flatbread on a plate
    On this page:
    • What to expect
    • Ingredients and Substitutions
    • Instructions
    • Serving suggestions
    • Tips
    • Similar Recipes
    • Storage
    • Recipe

    Check out our best Italian recipe collection!

    What to expect

    italian flatbread piadina filled with vegan cheese

    If you walk on the Italian Mediterranean Riviera in the Emilia-Romagna area, around the cities of Rimini and Riccione, you would notice that every single café and kiosk on the seaside sells Piadina Romagnola alla Riminese.

    Piadina is a very popular type of Italian flatbread that is surprisingly similar to a Mexican tortilla. It's a thin, flat, circular unleavened flatbread made with wheat flour that is versatile and can be eaten as a snack like a sandwich or as a main dish for a quick lunch or dinner.

    You can fill Italian flatbread with pretty much anything you like. You can fold it in half, cut it into triangles, or roll it like a wrap.

    Louise holding a piadina

    Olive Oil or Lard?

    There are two main types of piadina in Italy: one is made with lard, the other with olive oil. Since this is a vegetarian blog, we are going to show you how to make Italian flatbread with olive oil, which is convenient because you can serve this to anyone, vegans included.

    The two most popular fillings for piadina are "prosciutto" (Italian cured ham) and stracchino and arugula (an Italian soft cheese). We make a mean dairy-free melty cheese that is extremely similar to the Italian one, and it's perfect inside this Italian flatbread.

    From our recipe, you can expect a soft, thin, rollable, foldable, and easy-to-make Italian flatbread.

    Ingredients and Substitutions

    Ingredients for piadina Italian flatbread
    • Flour: all-purpose flour or bread flour are best. You can also do it with half all-purpose and half whole-wheat flour, but the flatbread will turn out dry and harder to fold.
    • Water: best if warm water, not hot or cold.
    • Olive oil: piadina is traditionally made with lard, but nowadays most people prefer to make it with extra virgin olive oil. We also do it like that.
    • Salt: to add taste to the Italian flatbread.

    Equipment

    To make piadina you will need a clean worktop, a bowl, and a rolling pin to shape and flatten the dough.

    Instructions

    To a large mixing bowl, add the flour, salt, warm water, and olive oil. Mix the ingredients with a spatula until you have a dough ball.

    mixing ingredients in a bowl

    Transfer the dough to a worktop that you previously sprinkled with flour, and knead for 5 minutes until you have a smooth, soft but compact dough ball.

    dough ball for Italian flatbread

    Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces, then shape each piece into a ball. Cover with a cloth and let rest for 15 to 30 minutes.

    Resting is important because it allows the gluten in the flour to relax and it'll be easier for your to roll out the dough.

    After the dough has rested, start warming up a non-stick pan on low-medium heat.

    cutting a shaping the dough into balls

    While the pan warms up you can flatten the first ball into a thin, round flatbread (piadina).

    Rotate the dough often while you roll it out, so that you get a regular round shape. You should aim for 3mm thick discs. Sprinkle the worktop and the dough with flour to prevent it from sticking.

    raw piadina Italian flatbread

    Cook the piadina on the hot non-stick pan. The pan should be hot, but the heat/flame should be low. Let cook for about 2 minutes on each side.

    cooking piadina Italian flatbread on a pan

    When it's cooked, put it on a plate in between a clean kitchen cloth. This will help preserve moisture. Repeat with the other Italian flatbreads till you are done.

    piadina on a cloth

    Fill up with your favorite filling and enjoy! We use our melty vegan cheese with arugula as a filling.

    Italian flatbread with filling

    Serving suggestions

    • Lunch: This piadina is perfect as a quick and wholesome lunch with vegan tuna and leaves of lettuce inside. They are wonderful for meal prep, and as a healthy lunch for kids. You can basically use any of your favorite salads and spreads as filling. Try this chickpea salad, and this vegan mayo together, it is an easy but tasty lunch.
    • As an easy dinner: Italian flatbread is incredibly versatile and is wonderful for a quick and healthy dinner. You can serve the flatbreads with guacamole, this one-pot chickpea stew, and a side of cauliflower rice. They will be a perfect addition to a buffet where everyone can pick and choose their favorite fillings!

    Tips

    • Let the dough rest: it's important so that the gluten network can relax and it will be easier for you to roll out the dough. A 15 to 30 minutes rest should be enough. Cover the dough with a cloth during this time.
    • Don't let it dry: don't let the dough dry out in the air. Keep it covered under a kitchen cloth. Dry dough is hard to flatten, and it will result in a harder drier Italian flatbread.
    • Roll out one at a time: it's best to roll out the dough one piadina at a time, just before cooking it. This will prevent the Italian flatbread from drying.
    • Preserve moisture: while cooking the flatbreads one after the other, you can put the cooked ones on top of each other, covered/wrapped by a clean kitchen cloth to preserve moisture.

    Similar Recipes

    If you liked this Italian flatbread, you might also like our other bread recipes:

    • Focaccia bread with rosemary
    • Flatbread pizza
    • Mini pizzas
    • Crisp focaccia with melted cheese

    Storage

    Store Italian flatbread in a plastic bag for up to 2 days. It can be reheated for a few minutes in the oven or on the same pan where it was cooked.

    You can also store piadina in the freezer for up to 3 months. They just need to cool down completely before you put them in a plastic bag and in the freezer.

    For many more bread ideas, check out our bread category page.

    Recipe

    italian flatbread piadina filled with vegan cheese

    Italian Flatbread (Piadina)

    Author: Nico
    Piadina is a thin yeast-free Italian flatbread that you can fill with anything you like and enjoy for a light lunch, snack, or dinner.
    Our recipe is easy to make, with four simple ingredients: flour, water, olive oil, and salt.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Share Recipe
    5 from 10 votes
    Prep Time 15 mins
    Cook Time 10 mins
    Resting time 15 mins
    Total Time 40 mins
    Course Antipasto, Breads, Main Course, Snack
    Cuisine Italian
    Servings 4 flatbreads
    Calories 339 kcal

    Equipment

    • Rolling pin

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 2 cups all-purpose flour or bread flour
    • ½ cup + 2 tablespoons water warm
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil extra virgin
    • 1 teaspoon salt

    Instructions
     

    • To a bowl, add all the ingredients and mix with a spatula till you get a dough.
      ingredients in a bowl
    • Transfer the dough on a worktop that you previously sprinkled with flour, and knead for 5 minutes until you have a smooth and soft dough ball.
      dough ball for Italian flatbread
    • Cut the dough in 4 equal pieces, then shape each piece into a ball. Cover with a cloth and let rest for 15 to 30 minutes.
      cutting a shaping the dough into balls
    • With the help of a rolling pin, roll out the first ball into a thin, round flatbread (piadina). Rotate the dough often while you roll it out so that you get a nice round shape.
      You should aim for 3mm thick discs. Sprinkle the worktop and the dough with flour to prevent it from sticking.
      raw piadina Italian flatbread
    • Cook the piadina on a hot non-stick pan. The pan should be hot, but the heat/flame should be low. Let cook for about 1.5 - 2 minutes on each side.
      cooking piadina Italian flatbread on a pan
    • When the flatbread is cooked, put it on a plate in between a clean kitchen cloth. This will help preserve moisture. Repeat with the other flatbreads till you are done.
      piadina on a cloth
    • Fill up with your favourite filling and enjoy!
      piadina Italian flatbread

    Video Recipe

    Notes

    Nutritional values are for one Italian flatbread without filling.

    Nutritional Values

    Nutrition Facts
    Italian Flatbread (Piadina)
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 339 Calories from Fat 72
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 8g12%
    Saturated Fat 1g6%
    Potassium 80mg2%
    Carbohydrates 57g19%
    Dietary Fiber 2g8%
    Sugar 1g1%
    Protein 8g16%
    Vitamin B6 1mg50%
    Vitamin E 1mg7%
    Vitamin K 5µg5%
    Calcium 13mg1%
    Folate 137µg34%
    Iron 4mg22%
    Manganese 1mg50%
    Magnesium 17mg4%
    Zinc 1mg7%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    Did you like this recipe?We are not much on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. Leave us a comment below instead, it would mean the world to us 🙂

    If you liked this recipe you might also like:

    • 40 Vegan Pasta Recipes
    • 65 Amazing Vegan Italian Recipes
    • Focaccia
    « Vegan Ricotta Cheese
    Vegan Egg Salad »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Oretta Norris

      January 19, 2023 at 8:24 pm

      5 stars
      Great recipe. Quick and easy. Thank you.

      Reply
      • Louise

        January 20, 2023 at 5:37 am

        Hi Oretta,
        I'm so happy you liked the piadina - thanks for taking the time to leave a review here.
        Have a great rest of your week. Cheers,
        Louise

        Reply
    2. El

      March 30, 2022 at 9:04 pm

      5 stars
      Those are great, delicious and soft! Can the dough balls be stored in the fridge or freezer (before flattening) and how long for?

      Reply
      • Nico

        March 31, 2022 at 9:06 am

        Ciao El! Thanks for commenting, I am delighted you like the piadinas!! You can definitely store in the fridge for up to 2 days before flattening (but take out the dough 1 hour before as it will the be far easier to flatten). I have not tried freezing it - but I promise to test that when I redo this recipe soon. Cheers, Nico

        Reply
    3. Beautiful Woman

      August 24, 2021 at 10:51 pm

      5 stars
      I love the stracchino, and I have also made your vegan ricotta. Thank you. As a vegan, I really miss cheese. I was not successful with the piadine. They did not puff up, and tasted like raw dough.

      Reply
      • Nico

        August 26, 2021 at 4:58 pm

        Thank you 🙂 Happy you liked the vegan stracchino and the ricotta. I'm sorry about the piadine, hopefully next time they'll turn out better 🙂

        Reply
    4. Jessi

      May 04, 2021 at 12:49 am

      I don't like soy milk. Can it be substituted with another plant milk without it compromising the flavor?

      Reply
      • Nico

        May 04, 2021 at 8:38 am

        Hi Jessi, yes, you can replace soy milk with most plant milks. Like rice, oats, etc, as long as they are NOT sweetened. They should be as natural as possible.

        Reply
    5. Cyndie

      April 21, 2021 at 2:54 am

      Is there something I can use besides oil? I have a friend who is vegan and does not use oil

      Reply
      • Nico

        April 21, 2021 at 9:46 am

        Hi Cyndie, sure 🙂 You can make the piadina without oil, just water. Or you can add the same quantity of soy-milk. Both ways will turn out good 🙂

        Reply

    Leave a comment and star rating :-) Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Nico and Louise founders of the Plant-Based School.

    Hi, we are Nico and Louise, and we love cooking! Welcome to our blog.

    Here we share everyday plant-forward recipes, to help you and your family eat more veggies.

    Omnivores, flexitarians, vegetarians, and vegans, you are ALL WELCOME to this community.

    More about us →

    Trending

    • Lentil Curry
    • Vegan Mushroom Pasta
    • Cauliflower Lentil Salad
    • Chickpea Soup

    Seasonal

    • Roasted Sweet Potatoes
    • Broccoli Pasta
    • Cauliflower Soup
    • Lentil bolognese

    We make sure our recipes are delicious and nutritious!

    plant-based nutrition certificate from ecornell

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    Top Recipes
    Vegan Custard
    Potato gnocchi
    Easy Focaccia
    Rice salad
    Vegan Ricotta

    Top Compilations
    Best Tofu Recipes
    Vegan Pasta Recipes
    Easy Dinners
    Best Plant-Based Desserts
    Vegan Appetizers

    Most Shared
    Eggplant Parmigiana
    Vegan Mayo
    Vegan melted cheese
    Hummus
    Roasted sweet potatoes

    HOME ABOUT RECIPES SUBSCRIBE PRIVACY POLICY NUTRITION DISCLAIMER IMPRINT

    Copyright © 2023 The Plant Based School