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Italian Taralli

These Italian Taralli, are similar to a cracker, bread stick and pretzel all rolled into one, but better. A soft no yeast dough, made with olive oil and white wine. Boiled then baked. Crunchy and tasty!

Taralli in a glass jar.


 

There are basically 2 types of taralli, sweet and savory. This savory recipe is easy to make and perfect anytime of the day. Taralli are very popular and available throughout Italy, they are mainly produced in the south, in Puglia and Campania. Typically made with lard and pepper. 

What are the ingredients?

  • Flour – all purpose flour
  • White Wine -dry
  • Olive Oil
  • Salt
  • Fennel Seeds

How to Make Taralli

In the stand up mixer add the flour, salt, olive oil and half the wine start to knead with the dough hook on speed #2, add the remaining wine and the fennel seeds, knead for 7-10 minutes until smooth and compact.

mixing the dough in a silver mixing bowl.

Move the dough to a flat surface and knead to form a compact dough ball. Roll small pieces of dough into a 5 inch / 12 cm long rope. Place one end slightly over the other to form a knot. Place the knots on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. I made 32 taralli.

forming the dough into ropes and rolling.

Boil water in a large pot, once it is boiling add ¼ teaspoon of salt. Add the taralli 5-6 at a time (depending on the size of your pot) and boil, remove once they float and not before. Remove with a sieve and place on a clean cotton tea towel. Continue until all the taralli have been boiled.

taralli on a tea towel before drying.

Leave the taralli to dry for at least 4-5 hours, you can even leave them overnight, turn them over after half the time has passed.

taralli ready for baking on a parchment paper cookie sheet.

Place the dried taralli on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden. Turn off the oven, open the door half way and leave for 10 minutes. Move to a wire rack to cool completely. 

baked tarilla on a cookie sheet

Can they be made by hand?

Yes they can be made by hand, combine the ingredients as per the recipe with a fork then move to a flat surface and knead until the dough becomes smooth and elastic. This should take about 5-10 minutes.

Different spices to use

If you prefer plain then you can leave out the spices or you can add your favourites from black pepper, hot pepper flakes, oregano, chopped rosemary etc.

What are Taralli?

They are almost like a Cracker, Bread Stick and Pretzel all rolled into one. Make some this Easter season and serve with a dip or cheese.

Italians also love to eat Taralli with a glass of wine or why not feel like a native and have a few with a Campari?

Taralli in a glass jar.

Where do Taralli Come from?

Good question and hard to answer, since Taralli are in fact prepared all over Italy. But most believe that they originated in the South in Puglia. In Campania they are made with lard and black pepper.

I also realized that sweetening them up and without the addition of boiling them,  they then become sweet wine cookies!

How to store them

They should be stored in an airtight bag or container and kept at room temperature for up to 3 days. It is not a good idea to freeze them.

So if you are looking for a delicious Italian tradition then why not make some Italian Taralli? Enjoy!

Taralli on a wire rack.

More Italian snacks

Taralli on a wire rack.

Italian Taralli

Rosemary Molloy
Italian Taralli, what is it? Almost like a cracker, bread stick and pretzel all rolled into one, but better. The perfect snack or appetizer.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Resting Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Course Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine Italian
Servings 32 taralli
Calories 46 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • 2 cups + 2 tablespoons all purpose flour (plain) (275 grams)
  • â…“ cup + 3 tablespoons dry white wine (divided) (100 grams)
  • ¼ cup +½ tablespoon olive oil (56 grams)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½-1 tablespoon fennel seeds if desired

Instructions
 

  • In the stand up mixer add the flour, salt, olive oil and half the wine start to knead with the dough hook on speed #2, add the remaining wine and the fennel seeds, knead for 7-10 minutes until smooth and compact.
  • Move the dough to a flat surface and knead to form a compact dough ball. Roll small pieces of dough into a 5 inch / 12 cm long rope. Place one end slightly over the other to form a knot. Place the knots on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. I made 32 taralli.
  • Boil water in a large pot, once it is boiling add ¼ teaspoon of salt. Add the taralli 5-6 at a time (depending on the size of your pot) and boil, remove once they float and not before. Remove with a sieve and place on a clean cotton tea towel. Continue until all the taralli have been boiled.
  • Leave the taralli to dry for at least 4-5 hours, you can even leave them overnight, turn them over after half the time has passed.
  • Pre-heat oven to 375F (190C).
  • Place the dried taralli on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden. Turn off the oven, open the door half way and leave for 10 minutes.
  • Move to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!

Notes

Taralli can also be made by hand, instead of kneading the dough, mix with a fork, then move to a flat surface to knead the dough until smooth.
Mine were quite small (bite size), they can be made a bit larger but not too big or they will lose their crunchiness.

Nutrition

Calories: 46kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 73mg | Potassium: 12mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 1mg
Did You Make This Recipe?Please leave a comment below or pin it to your Pinterest account!

Republished from March 12, 2015.

61 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Great recipe, thank you so much. They were almost identical to the store-bought ones. Also I skipped the boiling part as I didn’t have time, and still turned out delicious. 🙂

  2. 4 stars
    Great recipe with lovely flavour, i recommend returning them to the oven once cooled for approx 10-15 mins so they are biscotti ie twice cooked as this gives them a wonderful light crunchy texture, and they last well provided you hide them from the family!

  3. 4 stars
    I love the fennel flavoring in these Taralli’s. My recipe from an aunt of mine has way too much oil for our health conscious generation, but of course are delicious, too. I had only made them with black pepper, so was excited to try the fennel. I love the flavor. So the batter needed more wine and oil, and I did double the fennel. Came out great!! Thanks for this recipe.

  4. Hi Rosemarie, these bring back memories. My parents were from Bari and my mom and aunts made these all the time. It was an all day affair with me and my cousins laying out the hot taralli on cloths laid out on the kitchen table. It was like a factory line up. They made over 200 or more. We froze them too. But they never lasted long. I’m so surprised your recipe makes only 15! Yeah, I sure don’t want to make 200. Ours were mixed with red wine and pepper. Can’t wait to make these.

    Mary

  5. Hi – I followed the recipe exactly . They tasted nice but were too hard . I mean , they were really hard o bite instead of crisp-hard . What do I need to do to make them easier to bite ? I really like the taste .

  6. I just made these. The recipe is great! I used black pepper for the flavoring and used a chianti since that’s what I had open. But my taralli, while tasting delicious, ended up a little soft on the inside. I’m not much of a baker, so do you have a recommendation on what would have caused that? I don’t trust the temperature on my oven but don’t have a thermometer. Would cooking longer ensure crisper taralli?
    Thanks,
    Justin

    1. Hi Justin, I was going to say it’s probably your oven temperature, so yes bake a bit longer, if they start getting to brown, then cover them with foil and continue baking, start with 5 extra minutes. Take care.

  7. 5 stars
    These Taralli are outstanding!! I made them for my mother who is now in a retirement home. My sister tried them and said they are so much better then store bought and is now requesting I make a double batch of these for her. They are so addictive! My changes were I used my Dad’s homemade red wine and instead of fennel seeds, I used 1/2 tsp of star anise extract. Thank you for an amazing recipe. 🙂

  8. 5 stars
    Delicious and easy, I was a little heavy on the fennel seed, next time I’ll crush them for more intense flavor

  9. I’ve made these and they are deelish but I find the dough very tough and very hard to stretch out. They also don’t stick close well. I even added an additional tablespoon of wine. The flavour is great

  10. 5 stars
    Rosemary,

    We spent a wonderful two weeks in southern Italy this fall and loved the Taralli. I was super excited to find your site and can’t wait to try more recipes.

    Your instructions were great! They came out a little oddly shaped at first, but I made a second batch and they were much more consistent. Do you have any tips for keeping them more on the crunchy side? I had stored them in a sealed container and they got a bit chewy. I live in a humid climate (Houston, TX).

    Thank you for sharing your love of Italian cooking! Ciao Ciao

    1. Hi Wendy, thanks so much, glad you like the Taralli, even if they are kept in a airtight container, unfortunately I think the weather has a lot to do with a lot of recipes. I’m testing one out now to see if the weather is affecting it. Just waiting for the darn rain to stop. 🙂

    2. 5 stars
      Hi Wendy,
      I know your question is older but I thought I’d try to help. This recipe is very close to my family recipe. We never stored them in plastic containers or bags as that would softer them. Use an old cookie tin or, as my Nonna always used……paper bags! Like brown lunch bags. I double them, throw in the taralli, and roll it up. They stay nice and crisp. Added bonus, the brown bag absorbs any excess oil! Win win! Good luck!

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