Tigelle are small circular focaccia bread rolls that look like English muffins and are used to make cute round sandwiches that can be either sweet or savory and are always delicious. Originally cooked in wood-fired ovens between terracotta “tigelle” and then later made with a piece of equipment called a tigelliera on the stove top, today most people make tigelle directly in a frying pan or even baked. These delicious little treats from Italy, specifically Emilia Romagna, are also sometimes called crescentine montanara and are easy to make and so tasty!
However you decide to cook tigelle, these versatile little sandwiches are sure to become a favorite with your family and friends. Especially because you can personalize them for each individual by adding their favorite fillings. The next time you are in Modena, Bologna or another city in Emilia Romagna, be sure to enjoy tigelle from an Italian street food vendor or small restaurant, you are sure to get some new creative ideas on the best way to fill them.
What equipment is needed to make tigelle bread?
Equipment:
- 2 bowls one for mixing the tigelle dough in and one for letting it rise
- fork to mix the first ingredients together
- wooden spoon to mix the rest of the ingredients together
- large wooden board or other flat surface to roll out the dough
- tigelliera, tigelle press and/or 2 non-stick pans for cooking the tigelle
Not counting the hours it takes for the recipe to rise, making tigelle flat bread is quick and easy and takes just over 30 minutes. It is well worth the time in the kitchen to make fresh tigelle bread for the table to use like bread, to make sandwiches with, or even for the creation of a unique dessert your friends will love.
Ingredients needed to make homemade tigelle
- All-purpose flour (4 cups | 500 grams) – in Italy they use “00” flour, but here you can use all-purpose flour or bread flour if you prefer.
- Dry brewer’s yeast (1 teaspoon or 10 grams of fresh brewer’s yeast) – be sure to only use yeast that has not expired to ensure your tigelle rise as they are supposed to.
- Milk (0.82 cup | 200 grams) – either 1 or 2% milk works great. Let it come up to room temperature before using it.
- Water (3.38 floz | 100 grams) – use lukewarm water so you are sure that your yeast gets activated and your tigelle dough rises.
- Lard (1.08 ounces | 30 grams) – lard or shortening is the preferred ingredient, but if you want to make this recipe vegetarian you can substitute with 30 grams of extra virgin olive oil. You can also substitute with the same amount of butter, but it will change the taste from the original recipe.
- Salt (1.67 tsp | 10 grams) – just a pinch, whether you are making them sweet or savory doesn’t matter.
How to make homemade Italian tigelle step by step
Make the tigelle dough: Place the flour and dry yeast in a bowl and mix together photo 1-2. If you are using fresh yeast, dissolve it in one tablespoon of water and add in the next step).
Now add all the liquid (milk and water) and stir together with a fork photo 3-4.
Add the room-temperature soft lard or shortening and salt and mix together with a wooden spoon (or your hands if you prefer) until you get a uniform dough that isn’t sticky photo 5-6. If necessary, you can add a little more flour.
Let the ball rest and rise: Form the dough into a smooth ball photo 7-8.
Put it in a clean bowl and cover it with plastic wrap photo 9-10.
Put it in a warm place, such as the oven with just the light on, until it triples in volume, about 3-4 hours.
Make your round tigelle shapes: On a clean flat work space, large cutting board, or chopping block, add a dusting of flour. Place the dough onto the work surface photo 11. Use a rolling pin (with a little flour on it) to roll out until it is 1/8 in | 8 mm thick photo 12, if you don’t have enough room to roll it all out, you can do it in sections.
Use a round cookie cutter or the top of a round drinking glass that is 4 in | 10 cm across to cut out the round tigelle shapes photo 13, and set them aside. Make the shapes until you have used all the dough photo 14.
Cook the tigelle: If you have a tigelliera, heat it and use it to make your tigelle as indicated in the directions that came with your device photo 15-16.
If you do not have one, use two large non-stick pans. Warm one pan for three minutes until hot and then put the little foccaccias in, cover them with parchment paper and put another pan on top that fits within it, and presses down gently on the tigelle.
Cook for one minute over medium flame, remove the pan on top, remove the parchment paper, and turn the tigelle over. Put the parchment paper and pan on top again and cook for another minute. You will want to repeat the procedure twice more, cooking for about 4 minutes total (2 minutes on each side).
If you do not have one, use two large non-stick pans. Warm one pan for three minutes until hot and then put the little foccaccias in, cover them with parchment paper and put another pan on top that fits within it, and presses down gently on the tigelle.
Cook for one minute over medium flame, remove the pan on top, remove the parchment paper, and turn the tigelle over. Put the parchment paper and pan on top again and cook for another minute. You will want to repeat the procedure twice more, cooking for about 4 minutes total (2 minutes on each side).
Fill and eat tigelle: Once all the focaccie have been cooked, you can make your tigelle into either a savory or sweet treat by stuffing them with yummy fillings like cured meats like salami or prosciutto, cheese (Parmigiano-Reggiano, Grana Padano, squacquerone, Gorgonzola etc…), or a chocolate spread, Nutella, or even jams or jellies photo 17-18.
Serve and enjoy – truly delicious!
Try other street food recipes:
- Piadina Romagnola Recipe
- Mozzarella in Carrozza
- Farinata Ligure
- Panelle (Sicilian Chickpea Fritters)
- Panino Italiano – Italian Sandwich Panino Recipe
- Panzerotti Recipe
Expert tips for making tigelle
- Start with little balls. The original way to make tigelle was not to roll out the entire dough but to create little balls that were then squeezed between two terracotta plates and baked in the wood-fired oven. Some people claim this method makes the best tigelle or crescentine montanara.
- Use two pans. A great tip for making the perfect tigelle without a tigelliera is to use two pans, one on the bottom and another pressing down from on top. Cooking them with slight downward pressure creates better results (although the taste is the same) than simply cooking them straight on a griddle.
Variations on tigelle fillings
- Savory. Tigelle can be stuffed with your favorite Italian cold cuts such as ham or other cured meats as well as Italian cheeses that are cut into slices and put in the tigelle. You can of course add spreads, lettuce, tomato, or really anything you would normally add to a sandwich. You can make this into an entire meal!
- Sweet. If you have a sweet tooth, you can prepare your tigelle with Nutella or another chocolate spread, or with jams or jellies.
FAQs
Is tigelle a street food from Emilia Romagna, Italy?
Yes, you will find tigelle, a typical type of bread for making sandwiches, in small shops and street food stands because it is quick and easy to make and is great served hot and stuffed with your favorite fillings.
How can I store and reheat tigelle?
As soon as the tigelle are cool, you can store them in a plastic bag or saran wrap for about 3 days. You can also freeze them and thaw them at room temperature or directly in a frying pan or toaster oven.
What is cunza filling for tigelle?
Many recipes from Modena talk about the special filling for tigelle called cunza and described as a sort of pesto, although it is quite different than what we normally think of as pesto. Cunza is made with 125 grams of softened lard, 1 branch of rosemary and 1/2 a clove of garlic. Chop the lard, rosemary and garlic very finely and mix together until you form a sort of paste. Cut a tigelle that is still hot in half and fill with the cunza and perhaps a little Parmigiano Reggiano shavings and serve right away.
Homemade Tigelle
Equipment
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2 bowls
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1 Fork
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1 Wooden spoon
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1 large wooden board
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1 tigelliera, tigelle press or non-stick pan
Ingredients
- 500 grams all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon dry brewer’s yeast or 10 grams of fresh brewer’s yeast
- 200 grams milk
- 100 grams water
- 30 grams lard or shortening
- 10 grams salt
Instructions
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Place the flour and dry yeast in a bowl and mix together. If you are using fresh, dissolve it in one tablespoon of water and add during the next step.
-
Now add all the liquid (milk and water) and stir together with a fork. Add the room temperature lard or shortening and salt and mix together with a wooden spoon until you get a uniform dough that isn’t sticky, you can also use your hands and knead if you prefer. If necessary, you can add a little more flour.
-
Form the dough into a smooth ball and put it in a clean bowl and cover with plastic wrap and put it in a warm place, such as the oven with just the light on, until it triples in volume, about 3-4 hours.
-
On a clean flat work space, large cutting board or chopping block, add a dusting of flour. Place the dough onto the work surface.
-
Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough until it is 1/8 in / 8 mm thick, if you don’t have enough room to roll it all out, you can do it in sections. Use a round cookie cutter or the top of a round drinking glass that is 4in / 10 cm across to cut out the round tigelle shapes, set them aside. Make the shapes until you have used all the dough.
-
If you have a tigelliera, put on medium heat it and use it to cook your tigelle by following the directions the device came with. If you do not have one, use two large non-stick pans. Heat one pan for three minutes until hot and then put the little foccaccias on, cover them with parchment paper and put another pan on top that fits within it and presses down gently on the tigelle.
-
Cook for one minute over medium flame, remove the pan on top, remove the parchment paper and turn the tigelle over. Put the parchment paper and pan on top again and leave for another minute. You will want to repeat the procedure twice more, cooking for about 4 minutes total (2 minutes on each side).
-
Once all the dough has been used, you can make your tigelle into either a savory or sweet treat by stuffing them with yummy fillings like cured meats, cheeses, or a chocolate spread, nutella or even jams or jellies. Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
Origins of tigelle recipe
Tigelle was originally a simple ancient bread found in Modena, Bologna and the surrounding areas of Italy. A small piece of dough was rolled into a ball and then smashed between two terracotta discs called tigelle with a round shape, hence the name, and then baked in a wood-fired oven to make a flat, round bread. In modern times, tigelle recipes have undergone variations with the addition of more ingredients and many times the tigelle are cooked on the stove top in a cast iron or aluminum tigelle press or in electric tigelliera device or simply in a pan.
