Piadina without lard with the Thermomix, thin and light

Riccardo's piadina, made without lard: the dough comes together in the bowl in two minutes, rests while the pan heats up, and cooks with no oil or other fat added at all. The result is a thin piadina with those classic golden, bubbly patches, best filled warm, straight off the heat.

Why no lard, and what changes

Traditional Romagna-style piadina uses lard, which makes the dough more crumbly and flavorful. This version replaces it with a smaller amount of extra virgin olive oil: the result is a piadina that's slightly more elastic and less rich, but still soft and good, and easier to always have on hand since it doesn't call for an ingredient you'd need to buy specially.

If you ever want to try the classic version, just swap the oil for 50 g of lard: the Thermomix method stays exactly the same.

Dough mode: why it's the right choice

Dough mode is the Thermomix's kneading function, designed to work the dough with a motion that mimics hand-kneading, without heating it up through friction the way a regular speed would. Two minutes is enough for a simple dough like this one, with few ingredients and no rising to wait for.

If after the two minutes the dough is still sticking to the sides of the bowl, an extra tablespoon of flour and another 20-30 seconds almost always fixes it.

Why the rest isn't optional

The gluten that forms while kneading is still "tight": if you roll it out right away, the dough springs back the moment you let go and you can't get it thin. Twenty to thirty minutes of rest, covered with a kitchen towel so the surface doesn't dry out, is enough to relax it: after that, the dough rolls out almost on its own.

Cooking without fat: the trick is a well-heated pan

You don't need oil or butter in the pan: the piadina cooks through direct contact with the hot surface, exactly like a griddle. The one thing that really matters is that the pan is properly hot before the first round goes in: if it's still lukewarm, the piadina dries out without forming those golden bubbly patches it should have.

Only flip it once you see the first bubbles and the first dark patches: flipping too early leaves it pale and chewy.

How to fill it

Warm, fill it with whatever you have: prosciutto, lamb's lettuce or arugula and a drizzle of oil is the simplest combination and one of the ones I make most often. It works just as well with squacquerone cheese and arugula, the classic Romagna filling, or with different cold cuts and cheeses depending on what's in the fridge.

How to store it

Best eaten warm, right after making it. Any leftovers keep for 2-3 days at room temperature in a food storage bag, or you can freeze them already cooked, stacked with a sheet of baking paper between each one: to serve, just warm them a few seconds per side in a pan, straight from frozen.