Taralli with fennel seeds (take 3)

taralli with fennel seeds

taralli with fennel seeds

First of all let me explain what taralli are. They are basically gorgeous little snacks which have a similar consistency to crackers/grissini (bread sticks). They come from the Puglia region, which is the heel of Italy, and they are made with an unleavened dough of flour and flavoured in many different ways (with crack black pepper, chillies, fennel seeds etc.). The main ingredients are: flour, olive oil and white wine. The ones I have made are the most common ones. There are many recipes out there and in theory you are supposed to boil them first before you bake them. HOWEVER I tried twice to boil them first and I had to chuck them in the bin. GRRRRR! They were hard as rock and basically unedible. Mind you: it might have something to do with the fact  I later discovered I had used the wrong flour (strong instead of plain). :-( So I must try boiling them again using the right flour and see what happens. In the meantime let me share this recipe with you for which I’ve used my trusted sourdough (yes! Still alive after all these years!), as suggested by my sister in law Stefania (who apparently has been making them successfully in this way for a while). I have used the recipe she sent me on line which comes from the issuu.com website.

INGREDIENTS

200 gr. sourdough

200 gr. plain flour

80 ml. white dry wine

60 ml. olive oil

5 gr. salt

2 teaspoons fennel seeds

METHOD

Combine all ingredients but add the wine a little at a time (the amount of liquid depends on how wet your sourdough is). You must end up with a dough which is soft but not sticky.  Knead it for 20 minutes (I used my bread maker) then let it rest for half an hour.

Make little sausages the size of your little finger and approx. 8-10 cm in length. Bring the ends together to form a ring. Seal the ends together by pressing lightly.

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Place your taralli on a baking tray and cook in a preheated oven at 375°F (200°C) for about 25 minutes, until golden.

Remove and cool on a rack. They will store in an airtight container for quite a while.

 

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2 Responses to “Taralli with fennel seeds (take 3)”


  • Oh!!! Sono settimane che dico che li voglio fare!!! E dunque non vengono se li bolli. Proverò la tua ricetta, ma purtroppo non ho la pasta madre (o meglio ne ho una industriale disidratata che a te farà venire l’orticaria). Cosa intendi per farina plain? La 00? Io non la uso più, ho una 0 o una 1, o la manitoba che è sicuramente forte. Userei la 0. Andrà bene?

    • Falliiii! Non so se vengono se li bolli perché io ho usato la farina sbagliata quando li ho messi in pentola. Devo provare a bollirli ma usando la farina giusta che secondo le ricette italiane è la 0 o la 00 (le ho viste entrambe). Ti farò sapere! P.S. Non c’è bisogno di usare la pasta madre. Puoi usare tutta farina normale.

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