Italian cooking | Typical tigella bread recipe

Emilia Romagna is renowned for being the gastronomic capital of Italy; home to wonderful local produce and some of the country’s most famous dishes. Erm, lasagna anyone?! It is a cooking enthusiasts paradise!

Tigella is a type of bread typical to the region of Emilia Romagna, where Marco runs wonderful Italian cookery holidays.

Tigella (tigelle for plural) represents the most common social meal in the region and is traditionally stuffed and eaten while it’s hot; sliced like a sandwich or like a pocket (think of it as a warm fluffy Italian pitta).

It is then filled with delicious rustic hams, salamis, cheeses, pesto, vegetable oil or even vinegar.

Tigella is loved for three reasons. Firstly because for Italians from the region, eating these adorable baked little breads means sharing a wonderful and traditional meal with friends and family. Secondly, the beloved tigelle are stuffed with some of the best products from the region such as prosciutto, Parmigiano, balsamic vinegar, fresh ricotta, salami and mortadella.

And finally, because Marco believes that this Italian gastronomic experience is just too good to miss!

Ingredients

1kg of fine flour (00)
400g of milk
200g of cream
20g of salt
25g of fresh yeast
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of sugar

You will need

A bowl and a tigelle pan (which makes for a wonderful Christmas gift) or a frying pan – not oiled

Directions

First, dissolve the fresh yeast in the milk and add the sugar. Follow by adding the flour, the baking powder and the salt in the bowl, give it a mix and finally add the cream and the milk and mix the dough until smooth.

Cover with a dry towel and leave the dough to rise in a bowl for 2 hours in a warm, dry place.

Divide the raised dough into small balls (60g each), and then let them rest for 10 minutes and cook them in the tigelle pan (or frying pan) over heat until slightly brown and golden on the outside.

Suggested fillings

– Mortadella, Parmigiano Reggiano & balsamic vinegar cream
– Pancetta (sweet bacon) and roasted peppers
– Pesto (minced sausages cooked with garlic and rosemary) and Parmigiano Reggiano
– Squacquerone cheese (squacquerone is an Italian fresh cream cheese with a tangy taste) and rocket
– Ham or salami or cheese (but go for the best!)

Tips and secrets

Tigella is also cherished as a dessert after any meal; stuffed with fresh ricotta and jam or honey, or your favourite Nutella combination – whatever you have in house. The results are pure heaven!

You can find more information about Marco’s Italian cookery holidays here.

Or, feel free to explore our full range of Italian cookery holidays here to get the best of every region.