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Italian Frittelle

ByRosemary Molloy February 1, 2020April 5, 2023 April 5, 2023

These easy Frittelle are made with a simple Italian bread dough. Fried until golden then sprinkled with a generous amount of sugar. You are going to wonder where they have been all your life!

Most of the recipes on this blog have in some way been with the help from my mother-in-law from Crepe Cannelloni to a delicious Beef Stew.

Why I am I sharing another bread recipe you ask? Well with great sadness my amazing mother-in-law, Maria passed away last Saturday. She hadn’t been well for the past 4 or 5 years, she suffered from Dementia.

Of course over the last couple of years her health deteriorated and because of it she would suffer chronic Bronchitis. She would take an antibiotic and life would go on.

But this time not even the antibiotic could help and she passed within 24 hours.

She has a special place in my heart, being one of the few who took me under her wing and was always kind and helpful to me, but not only me everyone around her.

She hated drama and would always say if you didn’t get along with someone, there was no need to be rude, just a “Buon Giorno / Buona Sera” was all that was required. Easier said than done sometimes, but not for her.

After thinking about all the wonderful recipes she taught me to make, I think the ones that stand out the most in my mind (believe me it is so hard to decide) the top three would definitely be her Homemade Crepe Cannelloni, Stuffed Sweet Ravioli (although she stuffed hers with a ricotta chocolate chip mixture) and of course these Frittelle.

My kids rate her recipes on how close they are to tasting like hers. Sometimes I am really lucky!

When we would all celebrate Easter together she would usually make her famous homemade bread and of course pizza. Doesn’t matter that we had just consumed a 6 course meal, our mouths were already watering for that fabulous pizza.

And of course she would never use a machine, it was all made by hand, her pasta too! And don’t get me started on her amazing veggie garden.

But this one time she turned to me and asked if I had ever tried a frittella? And of course I hadn’t. When she explained that they were just pieces of the risen dough, deep fried then sprinkled with sugar, I thought “ok, didn’t sound too special to me”.

Although I did have the Italian standing beside me practically drooling and telling me to just wait. I then discovered another Italian treat that proved, that the simple things really are the best. And these are exactly that.

How to make Frittelle

In order to make them you have to start with a simple Italian yeast bread
In a small bowl add the water and honey, sprinkle the yeast on top. Let it sit for 5 minutes, then stir to combine.
In the bowl of the mixer whisk together the flour and salt.
Make a well in the middle and add the yeast mixture.
Start to knead for about 5 minutes, the dough will be smooth and elastic and pull away from the sides of the bowl.

adding the flour and yeast mixture in a bowl kneading the dough until it pulls away

Move the dough to a lightly floured flat surface and knead a few times into a ball.
Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a clean tea towel and let rise for an hour or two.

I divided the dough into two parts, 2/3 I made into a small loaf of bread and 1/3 I divided into 3 parts which I shaped into 3 small balls.
Place the loaf and small dough balls on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet, cover and let rise one hour.

the dough formed before and after the second rise on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet

Make a few scores in the bread and bake.
Flatten the small dough balls by pulling gently with your fingers to form a flat small circle.
Deep fry in hot oil, then place on a paper towel lined plate for about 3 seconds, then either sprinkle with sugar or dip both sides in sugar.

scoring the bread and making flat circles with the dough balls

Best eaten warm.

What is the best temperature for deep frying?

Be sure to heat the oil to a temperature of 340F (175C). Try to keep it as close to this temperature as possible.The best oil to use are peanut, sunflower or canola oils.

Lower than this and they will be soggy and not cooked, too high and they will cook too much on the outside and not enough on the inside.

How to know when the dough has risen enough

With your knuckles or a couple of fingers make an indentation in the dough, If the indentation disappears, the dough needs more time to rise. If the dent remains, the bread is ready to bake or move to the second rise.

frittelle and bread on a white board with a knife

How to store Frittelle

Because they are fried they should be eaten as soon as they are made. Although the bread can be kept in an airtight bag and will last up to five to six days at room temperature.

More Delicious Bread Recipes

Without Maria sharing her love for cooking, I am pretty sure there would be no An Italian in my Kitchen, she taught me to absolutely adore Italian food and how to make it, I will be forever grateful, so thank you Maria, Rest in Peace, you will be missed!