Piadina in the Air Fryer
Piadina romagnola is Romagna's thin, soft flatbread with brown spots, a classic of Italian street food. Here it's baked in the air fryer and filled while warm with Parma ham, rocket and creamy squacquerone, before being folded in half.
Equipment
- 1 Air fryer
- 1 Mixing bowl
- 1 Rolling pin
Ingredients
400 g plain flour Preferably tipo 00
4 tbsp olive oil Or 80 g soft lard
1 tsp salt
2 dl water Lukewarm
Filling
- 250 g squacquerone Or stracchino or fresh cream cheese
200 g Parma ham Thinly sliced- 80 g rocket
Instructions
Preparation
- Mix 400 g plain flour and 1 tsp salt in a mixing bowl. Add 4 tbsp olive oil, and pour in 2 dl water a little at a time, while bringing it together into a soft dough.
- Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for 5-8 minutes, until it's smooth, supple and no longer sticky.
- Cover the dough, and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes, so it becomes easier to roll thin.
- Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces.
- Shape each piece into a ball, and roll it out with a rolling pin on a floured surface into a thin, round disc about 20 cm in diameter. The disc needs to lie flat in the bottom of the air fryer basket, so make it a little smaller if your basket is small.
- Prick the dough rounds all over with a fork, so they don't puff up during baking.
Cooking in the air fryer
- Preheat the air fryer to 200 °C fan.
- Bake one flatbread at a time directly in the basket at 200 °C for 3 minutes.
- Turn the flatbread, and bake it for a further 2 minutes at 200 °C, until both sides have brown spots but the bread is still soft.
- Repeat with the rest of the dough rounds (5 minutes in total at 200 °C per flatbread), and place the finished flatbreads under a clean tea towel, so they stay soft and warm.
Serving
- Spread 250 g squacquerone over one half of each warm flatbread.
- Fill with 200 g Parma ham and 80 g rocket.
- Fold the flatbreads over the filling, and serve immediately, while they're warm.
Notes
Tips for a perfect result:
Roll the dough as thin as possible, about 3 mm, and prick it well with a fork. This gives the flatbread its characteristic brown spots without puffing up against the heating element. If it still puffs up in a powerful air fryer, you can place a small metal rack on top. Substitute for squacquerone:
Squacquerone is a soft, slightly tangy fresh cheese from Romagna that can be hard to find outside Italy. Use stracchino or fresh cream cheese instead. Variation:
The classic dough from Romagna is often made with lard. Swap the olive oil for 80 g soft lard for a more tender flatbread. Also try filling with grilled vegetables and mozzarella, or with salami and pecorino. Serving:
Serve the piadina warm as a lunch or light dinner, ideally with a fresh tomato salad on the side. Portion size:
The recipe makes 8 flatbreads, 2 per serving. If you have an air fryer with two baskets, you can bake two at a time and halve the baking time.
Roll the dough as thin as possible, about 3 mm, and prick it well with a fork. This gives the flatbread its characteristic brown spots without puffing up against the heating element. If it still puffs up in a powerful air fryer, you can place a small metal rack on top. Substitute for squacquerone:
Squacquerone is a soft, slightly tangy fresh cheese from Romagna that can be hard to find outside Italy. Use stracchino or fresh cream cheese instead. Variation:
The classic dough from Romagna is often made with lard. Swap the olive oil for 80 g soft lard for a more tender flatbread. Also try filling with grilled vegetables and mozzarella, or with salami and pecorino. Serving:
Serve the piadina warm as a lunch or light dinner, ideally with a fresh tomato salad on the side. Portion size:
The recipe makes 8 flatbreads, 2 per serving. If you have an air fryer with two baskets, you can bake two at a time and halve the baking time.
Nutrition
Calories: 754kcalCarbohydrates: 74gProtein: 30gFat: 37gSaturated fat: 14gPolyunsaturated fat: 3.6gMonounsaturated fat: 18gTrans fat: 0.5gCholesterol: 84mgSodium: 1714mgPotassium: 504mgFiber: 3.3gSugar: 2.8gVitamin A: 1100IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 148mgIron: 2.1mgNet carbohydrates: 70g
