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!
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.
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.
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.
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?
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!
More Italian snacks
Italian Taralli
Ingredients
- 2 cups + 2 tablespoons all purpose flour (plain) (275 grams)
- ⅓ 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
Nutrition
Republished from March 12, 2015.
Hi Rosemary,
Late to the party, I know, dreadful etiquette to be sure. Thanks for the recipe which I followed, nearly, to a T. I decided to try my hand at making one of my favourite Italian treats after the price locally had nearly doubled for the pre-packaged variety. I don’t have a stand up mixer so combined the wet ingredients first in a bowl followed by the dry, the flour being sifted before combining of course. The Fennel seeds, however, were held back. Kneading the dough to the consistency recommended, after all ingredients were thoroughly blended in the bowl, took about 10 minutes or so. I then split the dough into equal parts because I wanted to make 2 different flavours, Paprika and Fennel. I used 1 tsp of Spicy Paprika for 1 half and 1 tsp of Fennel for the other. The Paprika portion didn’t turn out as crispy (or flavourful) as the fennel, which I assume was likely due to the consistency of powdered spice vs seed, but the Fennel was spot-on. An extra 8 minutes at 150 °C in the air fryer for the Paprika however hit the mark making the consistency in flavour and texture the same as the Fennel which was equal to, if not better, than store bought. Thank you once again for sharing your recipe and taking the time to publish it.
Hi Captain Stavros, thanks so much, so glad you enjoyed them and for giving me the details of how you made them. Things are so expensive now that making things at home is the way to go. Take care!