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Tigelle
Small griddle breads
Tigelle or crescentine: Modena's little griddle breads, split open and filled
In the Apennine hills above Modena these small, round breads were once baked between hot terracotta discs called tigelle, which gave them their common name; locals often insist the bread itself is the crescentina. Today a cast-iron tigelliera or a heavy frying pan does the work, giving each one a toasted, speckled face and a soft, steamy inside. They are split while hot and filled at the table, a lively Saturday-night supper with friends. The filling was classically lard pounded with rosemary and garlic; this vegetarian spread uses butter, rosemary and Parmigiano, alongside soft cheeses and grilled vegetables. Chef's tip: cut them with a 7 cm cutter and keep them 1 cm thick; any thinner and there's nothing to split.
- Total time
- 120 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the dough
- 1 ⅛ lb plain flourplus extra for dusting
- ⅛ oz instant dried yeast
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- ¾ cup whole milklukewarm
- ¾ cup lukewarm water
- 1 oz buttersoftened; replaces the traditional lard
For the rosemary butter
- 2 ⅞ oz buttersoftened
- 1 tbsp fresh rosemaryneedles, very finely chopped
- 1 garlic clovecrushed to a paste
- 1 ⅜ oz Parmigiano Reggianograted; usually made with animal rennet, so use a vegetarian hard cheese if you prefer
To fill
- 7 oz stracchino or other soft fresh cheese (optional)
- 1 ¾ oz rocket (optional)
- 7 oz grilled courgettes (optional)
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Mix 1 ⅛ lb plain flour, ⅛ oz instant dried yeast, 1 tsp sugar and 1 ½ tsp salt. Add ¾ cup whole milk, ¾ cup lukewarm water and 1 oz butter and knead for 10 minutes, until smooth and springy.
10 minStep 2: Cover and leave in a warm place for 1 hour, until doubled.
60 minStep 3: Roll the dough to 1 cm thick and cut out 7 cm rounds. Re-roll the scraps once. Lay them on a floured tray, cover and leave for 20 minutes to puff slightly.
20 minStep 4: Meanwhile beat 2 ⅞ oz butter with 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, 1 garlic clove and 1 ⅜ oz Parmigiano Reggiano until creamy.
Step 5: Heat a tigelliera or a heavy dry frying pan over a medium-low heat for 5 minutes.
5 minStep 6: Cook the tigelle for 4–5 minutes a side, pressing lightly, until both faces are golden-brown and the sides spring back. Common mistake: a hot pan; the outsides scorch while the middle stays doughy.
10 minStep 7: Split each one while hot with a serrated knife, spread with the rosemary butter and fill with 7 oz stracchino or other soft fresh cheese, 1 ¾ oz rocket and 7 oz grilled courgettes.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 450 kcal
- Protein
- 12 g
- Carbs
- 57 g
- Fat
- 20 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does tigelle take?
- About 120 minutes in total: 90 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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