As you can see from the picture, they’re not exactly delicate, pretty morsels. My homemade version of these pugliese biscuits are dumpy and lumpy, browned from baking. Indeed, when I cooked them yesterday evening, they seemed to lurk menacingly in the oven, as if saying “Just wait ’til I get crispy, sunshine…”. But I have to recommend that you try them – in Puglia they’re the regional equivalent of the breadstick – available at all the local bakers in many different types.
One principal difference is “bolliti” or “non bolliti” – boiled or not. Poaching the dough before cooking in the oven gives a shiny finish and (I think) a more crispy and light final biscuit, but feel free to experiment. There are also lots of flavour variations to play with – a handful of fennel seeds is one of the most common, but try dried chili flakes or coarsely ground black pepper too.
They’re a bit like an unyeasted bagel in preparation – you make a dough enriched with olive oil and bound with white wine, shape into little sausages fastened together into rounds, then poach briefly before cooking to crispness in a hot oven. In Italy I’d use “00″ flour, but over in the Bahamas I haven’t been able to find it. I’ve used plain wholemeal flour which was a pain to “knead” but produced lovely flavoursome taralli. Bread flour or all-purpose would work fine as well as it’ll have more gluten for an easier dough to shape, but my next experiment will be with spelt flour.
Let me warn you – taralli have that Pringle-like quality where one, or five, or the whole damn tub are never enough. I think they’re perfect for nibbles with a glass of wine before dinner, or alongside a simple lunch of cheese and chutney. Enjoy (at your peril).
Taralli
- 500g flour (see note above) – ”00″, wholemeal, bread flour or a mixture
- olive oil, the tastier the better
- white wine
- salt
- handful of extra flavourings (see above)
Make a rough dough with all the ingredients in a mixing bowl – you make need a little more white wine to help everything bind together. When it’s more or less together, turn out onto a counter worktop and try to knead it as much as you can. Depending on what flour you’re using this may be tricky – I used plain wholemeal flour the first time and the dough was barely kneadable at all. If you’re using bread flour with more gluten, you’ll be able to make a really elastic dough. Work it for about 10 minutes then leave to rest, back in its mixing bowl, covered with a teatowel.
After at least half an hour, put a large saucepan of water on to boil and start shaping the taralli. Take pieces of dough about the size of a golf ball and roll, pinch or squeeze them into a sausage shape about 10 cm long. Pinch the ends together to form a circle with a hole in the middle, a bit like a rough and ready bagel. Continue like this to use up all the dough.
When the water is boiling drop the taralli in, about 10 at a time so as not to overcrowd your pan, and boil until they start to roll to the surface (the same principal as cooking ravioli). Then scoop them out with a slotted spoon and leave to dry on a clean tea towel. Once all the taralli have been poached, leave them to dry for at least half an hour – even overnight if you prefer.
When you’re ready to cook them, preheat the oven to 200˚C and line a large baking sheet with baking parchment. Arrange the taralli on top and bake for 25 minutes until starting to be well-browned (you might need to rotate the tray if your fan is particularly fierce). Now turn the oven off and leave the biscuits in there for at least two hours, but again overnight if that’s easier.
Store in airtight containers and eat with cheese, cured meats and a large glass of red.
