The Torta al testo is the most typical dish of Perugia which accompanies Perugian families since very long time and nowadays is still firmly at the top of the preferences judging by its constant presence on the table. It is a sort of “pizza”, used mainly as alternative to bread, cooked on baking dish which was a kind of disk made of river pebbles knead with clay. This testo was heated on fire and used directly as hob for the torta. Currently the testo used for cooking our torta is made of cast iron.

Ingredients
500g flour bicarbonate salt testo

Preparation method
Pour flour on a pastry board, add a pinch of salt, bicarbonate and some water, until to achieve quite soft pastry. Work the pastry realizing a disk of the same diameter of testo. Heat the testo, then perforate the disk pastry by a fork. When the testo is hot, powder some flour on it and lay down the torta gently. When the torta is crisp and crusty, turn it upside down without breaking it. As soon as is cooked, take it away from the testo an serve it hot.

Note – There wasn’t brewer’s yeast in the original recipe. The Torta al testo is named crescia in Gubbio

Variation – The torta al testo can be sliced and used to have appetizers or be a substitute of bread. There is the very popular habit to cut the torta into four pieces, take one portion and after have cut it crosswise, stuff it with ham, stewed vegetables or sausages with stewed vegetables.