Recipes

Tarallini

Name: Tarallini
Prep time: PTM
Total time: PTM
Yield: about 70
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 500g (1lb 2oz/5 cups) soft wheat 00 flour, plus extra for dusting; 2 tsp salt, plus 1 extra tbsp for boiling; 1 tbsp dried fennel seeds, plus extra for sprinkling; 120g (4¼oz/½ cup) extra virgin olive oil; 220g (7¾oz/scant 1 cup) dry white wine

Dairy-free, Egg-free, Nut-free, Savoury, Vegan

The epitome of Italian informal baking and something that every tourist will happily bring back home

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Ingredients

Introduction

Ingredients

500g (1lb 2oz/5 cups) soft wheat 00 flour, plus extra for dusting
2 tsp salt, plus 1 extra tbsp for boiling
1 tbsp dried fennel seeds, plus extra for sprinkling
120g (4¼oz/½ cup) extra virgin olive oil
220g (7¾oz/scant 1 cup) dry white wine

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Introduction

The shelves of almost every single airport shop in Italy are packed with bags of tarallini: this crispy snack has almost become the epitome of Italian informal baking and something that every tourist will happily bring back home. Although they can be found anywhere across the country, they mostly originated from the south and especially Puglia, where they are considered a local staple.

The high oil content, the wine and the double cooking method give tarallini a unique and super crispy texture. My recipe uses the traditional combination of dried fennel seeds, but they can be flavoured with your favourite herbs and spices: for an aromatic snack, swap the fennel seeds for 1 tablespoon of fresh, finely chopped chives or rosemary. For a fiery alternative, use ½ teaspoon of ground black pepper or 1/8 teaspoon of hot chilli powder; in this case, you can add also ½ teaspoon of paprika to the dough for colour and sprinkle extra on the boiled tarallini to decorate them.

They are very easy to make and ideal to bake with the kids: the alcohol from the wine will entirely evaporate when baking, so they can safely enjoy them too. If you have the chance, leave the boiled tarallini uncovered to dry out at room temperature overnight before baking them: the resulting texture will be even crispier!

One batch will make about 70 tarallini: this sounds like a lot, but I can assure you that they will be gone in no time. However, if you would rather halve the quantity, I would recommend working the dough by hand as it might be just too little for a stand mixer to knead.

Tarallini can be enjoyed any time of the day, with a glass of wine as an aperitif or as finger food for a party. Just be careful as when you start nibbling them, it is almost impossible to stop…

Instructions

Add the flour, 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 tablespoon of fennel seeds to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Mix with a spoon until fully combined. Weigh the oil in a spouted jug.
Start the mixer on a low-medium speed and slowly trickle the oil into the bowl. Continue to mix until the oil has been fully incorporated in the flour. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula as needed. The mixture will look dry and crumbly. Weigh the wine in the same spouted jug (no need to wash it). Trickle the wine into the bowl while the mixer goes and knead the dough on medium speed for about 10 minutes until it looks soft and homogeneous. It should come off the sides of the bowl cleanly. Scoop the dough out of the bowl: it will feel very soft and oily. Wrap it in clingfilm and let it rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
When the dough has rested, transfer it on to a clean and dry worktop and divide it into small lumps, about 10–13g (¼oz) each. There is no need to be overly accurate: I usually roll the dough into a long, 2cm (¾in) thick noodle and cut it into evenly-sized lumps. If you obtain 70–80 lumps, then you know that the weight is in the right ball park. Lightly flour a large area of the worktop for the shaped dough. Roll each lump of dough between your hands to shape it into an 8–10cm (3¼–4in) long noodle, wrap it loosely around your index finger to form a ring shape and pinch the overlapping ends together with your thumb and index finger. Arrange the rings on the floured surface while you work through the whole batch of dough. This may seem time-consuming at first, and you will probably have to re-work a few to get them the right shape, but once you become familiar with the process, it will get faster and more satisfying.
Once all the tarallini are shaped, pour about 2 litres (70fl oz) of water into a large pan, add 1 tablespoon of salt and bring it to a fast boil. Lay a large, clean dish towel over the worktop next to the pan of boiling water. Set the shelf in the middle part of the oven and preheat it to 190°C static (375°F/Gas mark 5). Line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Boil the tarallini in small batches of 8–10: drop them in the boiling water and scoop them out with a slotted spoon only when they rise to the surface. It takes no more than a couple of minutes to cook one batch. Rest the tarallini on the dish towel as they come out of the pan. Their texture will change significantly upon boiling from very soft to almost rubbery. Resist the temptation of boiling too many at once, as they tend to stick to one another while in the water, and you might end up with one, large lump of dough rather than a set of beautifully cooked tarallini.
As soon as you have boiled them all, transfer them to the baking sheet, keeping them 1–2cm (½–¾in) apart. You should be able to fit about 30 tarallini on a standard baking sheet. Sprinkle extra fennel seeds over the tarallini to decorate them. Bake each batch for 40–42 minutes or until the surface starts to turn golden.

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