If you thought making taralli at home was impossible, today I will prove you wrong.
We will discover how to make crispy and flavored taralli in the traditional way with just a few simple ingredients and only 40 minutes.
Taralli (tarallucci or tarallini) are a typical product of the southern tradition and particularly of Puglia, which in the past was consumed as a bread substitute.
Their peculiarity is that once the dough is made – based on flour, water, white wine, and extra virgin olive oil – they are first boiled and finally baked.
It is this double cooking that allows the taralli to acquire that golden surface and that crumbly and crunchy texture at the same time that characterizes them.
As with any respected traditional recipe, there are many versions that vary not only from one place to another but even from family to family, both in ingredients and shape.
In today’s recipe, we will prepare taralli in the small round Apulian version with a dough that includes the use of flour, water, extra virgin olive oil, and wine.
We will also bake paprika ones, and at the end of the recipe, you will find the wholemeal version made with burnt wheat flour, along with many other variants.
Perfect for dining with friends, homemade Taralli are a delicious snack-finger food: excellent to serve as an aperitif, appetizer, to set up a savory buffet, but also for a snack or as a bite to take to the office or school.
Follow my homemade Taralli recipe and you will bake crispy and crunchy Apulian Taralli just like the ones you buy, and then with the same recipe, you can create a thousand other versions by adding different spices and herbs to the dough.
Once ready, they keep very well, lasting up to 2/3 weeks, making them perfect for gifts as well.
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Cooking time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: about 50 pieces
- Cuisine: Italian
- Energy 403.56 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 47.94 (g) of which sugars 1.24 (g)
- Proteins 7.95 (g)
- Fat 20.46 (g) of which saturated 2.89 (g)of which unsaturated 0.25 (g)
- Fibers 2.58 (g)
- Sodium 391.61 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 50 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup white wine
- 1 1/2 tsp instant yeast for savory preparations
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 tsp salt
- sweet paprika
- oregano
- chili pepper
- wild fennel
- 1 1/8 cups buckwheat flour (or burnt wheat)
- 1 1/8 cups Manitoba flour
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3/4 tsp salt
Tools
- Bowl
- Pot
- Baking tray
Steps
Take a large bowl and pour in the water, wine, oil, and salt.
Add the yeast and the flour gradually and start mixing.
Then transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface and continue kneading until smooth and homogeneous.
To know if you’ve achieved the right consistency, note that when the dough is ready, it no longer sticks to your hands.
At this point, divide the dough into two equal parts; with the first, we will make the classic taralli, while with the second, the paprika-flavored ones.
Add some sweet paprika to one of the doughs (adjust the quantity according to your taste; you can try with 1 teaspoon as I did, and I stopped there).
Now let’s shape our taralli.
Break off small pieces of dough weighing 15 g each and form a stick about 4 inches long from each piece, roll it into a ring shape, and place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
Meanwhile, boil a pot full of water.
When you have formed all the taralli, immerse a few pieces at a time in the boiling water, and as soon as they rise to the surface, drain them and let them drain on a tray with a cloth on top.
At this point, transfer them to a baking tray covered with parchment paper and bake in a preheated static oven at 375°F for about 30 minutes.
Once baked, let them cool, put them in a basket or in many small bowls, and bring them to the table.
Follow my Instagram profile by clicking HERE
STORAGE
We can store homemade taralli for up to 3 weeks if kept in an airtight container in a cool and dry place.
TIPS
For the dough, I suggest using white wine, as red wine would give the taralli a too dark and reddish color.
For those who don’t know, boiling the taralli helps to precook them and make them shiny, while baking gives them crispiness and crunchiness; taralli without pre-boiling result in a more biscuit-like and less crisp texture.
If you prefer, instead of the classic knots, you can shape your homemade taralli into small braids or elongated knots.
With this dough, you can create many different variants simply by adding aromatic herbs or spices such as thyme, sage, fennel, rosemary, dried chili pepper, garlic, and if you love the pizza taste, try tomato paste and oregano.
