Tigelle (Crescentine Modenesi)
Small, round yeast-leavened flatbreads from Modena, cooked until crisp outside and soft within, then split and stuffed with savoury fillings.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 50 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 490 kcal
Equipment
- •Tigelliera or heavy cast-iron skillet
- •Round cookie cutter (8 cm)
- •Mixing bowl
- •Rolling pin
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 490 kcal
- fat
- 20 g
- carbs
- 64 g
- fibre
- 3 g
- protein
- 14 g
- calories
- 490 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the lukewarm milk inside a large mixing bowl.
- 2
Add the flour, sparkling water, softened strutto, and fine sea salt to the bowl.
- 3
Knead vigorously on a lightly floured surface for ten minutes until smooth, pliable, and elastic.
- 4
Shape the dough into a ball, cover in a bowl, and prove for ninety minutes until doubled.
- 5
Roll the dough out on a floured worktop to a thickness of roughly five millimetres.
- 6
Stamp out discs using an eight-centimetre round cutter, gathering and re-rolling any dough scraps.
- 7
Place the dough discs on a floured tray, cover loosely, and rest for twenty minutes.
- 8
Mash the minced lardo, chopped rosemary, and grated garlic together with a pinch of salt to make cunza.
- 9
Heat a tigelliera mould or heavy dry skillet over medium heat until completely hot.
- 10
Cook the dough discs for four to five minutes per side until golden brown and puffed.
- 11
Split each hot bread horizontally with a small knife and spread immediately with the cunza and Parmigiano Reggiano.
Chef's tips
Using sparkling water gives the dough a noticeably lighter interior crumb. If you do not own a cast-iron tigelliera mould, a heavy preheated dry frying pan works wonderfully. Keep the cooked crescentine wrapped inside a clean linen napkin to retain steam and softness.
Ingredient substitutions
- strutto (pork lard) → extra virgin olive oil, for a lighter dough
- lardo (cured pork back fat) → pancetta or prosciutto crudo for an alternative filling
- tipo 0 flour → standard plain white flour
Storage
Store cooled breads in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days, or freeze for one month.
Reheating
Warm whole breads in a hot dry skillet or moderate oven for three minutes before splitting and serving.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Rolling the dough too thin, which stops the bread from puffing and splitting cleanly.
- •Cooking over excessively high heat, causing the crust to scorch before the interior is baked.
- •Allowing the dough discs to dry out before cooking, which creates a tough exterior crust.
Serving suggestions
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