Often when I say I am market inspired to cook something, I am referring to the fresh fruit and vegetable markets held weekly in local towns or the Central Market in Florence where I conduct my walking tours.
But there are other markets that inspire me- the first Sunday of the month in Panzano is the artisans market and there are stand after stand of food artisans up by Dario Cecchini’s Macelleria. Then the market twists down to the Sunday food market in the tiny main piazza on the 222 highway. After this is my favorite part, with crafts and flea market treasures.
I scored this week! My husband actually found this. A aluminum mold for a stovetop flatbread called Tigelle. These are from Emilia Romagna, mostly around Modena and also in the mountains. Often cooked between clay disks over an open fire, the more modern version is made of metal.
The finished Tigella, filled with Burro del Chianti from the Macelleria Cecchini
I adore all the different regional breads and streetfood snacks around Italy, you will find this in Emilia Romagna.
The Tigelle mold is used stovetop- 1950’s cost €5, a real find!
To make Tigelle:
300 grams Italian flour (00), in America White Lily works or King Aurthur sells Italian flour
25 gram fresh yeast ( I used a packaged dry yeast, the amount that is used for 500 gr or one pound of flour.
50 grams lard ( I used the same lard I filled the tigelle with, artisan made)
salt
1/2 cup warm water
Mix the yeast into the warm water and stir.
Add the salt to the flour and then the lard.
I mixed the lard into the flour first, as I would for a tortilla dough, “cutting” it into the flour.
Add the water and mix to make a soft dough.
Knead the dough until smooth.
Cover and let rise for 1 hour.
Roll out the dough to about 3/4 ” high.
Use the top of a water glass to cut disks. ( make sure it fits in the tigelle mold).
Cover and let rise again.
Left over dough can be rerolled to cut more tigelle.
This recipe made 10.
Lightly grease the mold and lay in the tigelle. Cover with top and cook until golden.
Flip the mold so both sides cook.
If using a griddle, just flip them.
When cooked, cut open and fill.
Traditional filling is Italian prosciutto minced with garlic and fresh rosemary.
Put in while still hot so the fat melts!
You do not need one to make these though. It is very similar to an English Muffin and can be cooked right on a griddle.
Great recipe. My favorite line is “Put in while still hot so the fat melts!”
Those are so cool – you’re right they are like English Muffins! Now you should make some more for some eggs benedict . . . *smile*
What a great find! I would love to try these but I’m sure I’ll never come across the grill here in CA!
janie- can be made stovetop on a cast iron griddle or in frying pan!
Hi Diva:
What a great post and find your husband surprised you with! 🙂
Have you seen these Tigella pans in the U.S.? Do you know where they might carry them here? I love the size of these little breads and molds to keep them uniform.
@cristina– i haven’t seen them in USA– they are hard to find in italy outside of the region they come from. But I often use tuna cans to cut english muffins!!!
When I visited my family in Modena, they made these wonderful little breads for me. When we went up into the mountains to their homes where they go to ski and escape the summer heat, I noticed that every cucina had a tigelle maker (electric). What online businesses sell these and ship to the USA? I’d love to know so that I could buy one for Christmas! Thank you for this wonderful post! Roz
Roz- try this guy! http://www.italian-cooking-machines.it/sta_tig.php
Thank you for the tip Judy . . . going there now! I love the old-fashioned, traditional tigelle makers. They are so pretty too! I’d hang it up in my kitchen and never put it away in a cupboard or drawer!
Oh what a great site! Can’t wait to try this recipe.
Hi Judy! Just saw this post of yours (better later than never), I was doing a bit of research on this bread. Luckily there is an artisanal butcher who renders lard! I have rendered my own but ran out, my god does it make great pie crust or what? Will let you know how the Tigelle turns out! Wish I had the Tigelle mold! Oh well, the stove top cast iron grill will have to do! Thanks P.