Tigelle is an Italian flat bread which originates from the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. Historically, this bread was made by placing circles of the dough between round clay discs called tigelle, and stacked to bake in an open fire, hence the name. As they baked, the bas relief flower carving in the tile would imprint the bread. Today, they are more commonly made on the stovetop.
Made in Bologna, Italy, the capital of Emilia-Romagna Region, the Enrico Pruni “Due Torri” Tigelle iron is designed to be used on a gas stove top. The inside cavities are embossed with a flower design to replicate the image of the old clay tiles. It resembles the “fiore di vita”, the flower of life symbol which is an ancient design found in many cultures which represents good luck and fertility.
Tigelle are easy to make, and best eaten warm, sliced in half and traditionally filled with ham, prosciutto and cheese, or with sweet jam for a morning treat.
Tigelle Recipe (makes approximately 30 tigelle):
Ingredients:
- 1000 grams of unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups of warmed milk (plus an additional 3 to 6 tablespoons as needed)
- 17 grams active dried yeast
Dissolve the yeast in 2 cups of warm milk. The milk should be warm to the touch.
In a large bowl, add the flour and salt. Add the olive oil and milk with yeast.
(I like to start the initial process in the bowl and finish the final kneading on a pastry board.)
Mix the dough by hand, or use my favorite dough whisk (sku #23947).
Add the additional tablespoons of milk as needed, until you get a somewhat smooth, workable dough.
I then turned the dough out onto a lightly floured pastry board and knead for another few minutes.
Place in a bowl, cover the dough and leave to rise for about 1 hour or until double in size.
Dough proving in the Fante’s Fruit Ripener Bowl
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface, and roll out about 1/4″ to 1/2″ thickness. Using a 3″ round cutter, cut out into circles and place on a baking sheet.
Cover to rise with a lint free cloth. Flour sack towels are ideal for this.
Allow to rise for 15 minutes.
Using a pastry brush, lightly coat the inside of the tigelle maker.
Preheat the iron for 10 minutes on medium heat. Place the dough circles into the cavities and cook for several minutes on each side, rotating and checking occasionally until cooked.
These taste the best just freshly made and warm, sliced in half with your choice of filling. They can also be reheated in the oven. I do find the easiest method is to slice and warm in my toaster.
My choice of fillings are sliced tomatoes, mozzarella drizzle with olive oil, salt and fresh ground pepper with homemade pesto.
