In 2017, our family took a trip to Puglia, the heel-shaped region in the south of Italy. It was the first time we tasted a cracker called taralli. Each night we’d sit on the patio of our hotel and order aperitivos (pre-dinner drinks), and with them arrived dishes of olives, cheese, and these diminutive crackers that we came to know very well. In the years since, they’ve become more common in the U.S., and can be found in many grocery stores and most Italian specialty stores. But, here’s a secret. They are easy to make on your own, and with a yeasted dough flavored with white wine and extra virgin olive oil, far superior than store-bought. Make sure to use a good extra virgin olive oil for the best flavor.
Taralli
In 2017, our family took a trip to Puglia, the heel-shaped region in the south of Italy. It was the first time we tasted a cracker called taralli. Each night we’d sit on the patio of our hotel and order aperitivos (pre-dinner drinks), and with them arrived dishes of olives, cheese, and these diminutive crackers that we came to know very well. In the years since, they’ve become more common in the U.S., and can be found in many grocery stores and most Italian specialty stores. But, here’s a secret. They are easy to make on your own, and with a yeasted dough flavored with white wine and extra virgin olive oil, far superior than store-bought. Make sure to use a good extra virgin olive oil for the best flavor.
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1 ½ cups 185 grams all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup 60 grams semolina flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ teaspoon fennel seeds, slightly crushed
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 6 tablespoons white wine
Instructions
- Mix the all-purpose flour, semolina, salt, fennel and yeast in the mixing bowl of a stand mixer. Using the dough hook attachment, slowly pour in the olive oil while the machine is on low.
- Begin adding the wine. Start with about half of it, then let the mixer run for 8-10 minutes. Check the dough, if it is too dry, add a bit more wine. If it is sticky, don’t add any more wine, but instead add a tablespoon more of flour. The dough may not come together in the bowl of the mixer. In this case, knead the dough by hand until it is a tight ball.
- Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 45 minutes and up to 90 minutes at room temperature.
- Preheat your oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Pinch off pieces of dough about a tablespoon in size. If you have a scale, they should weigh 20 grams each. The most important thing is that your pieces are all the same size, or as close as you can get them, so that they bake evenly. Roll each piece into a log, then pinch the ends together to form a circle. I find it easiest to squeeze the dough in my fist to compact the dough before rolling them on a cutting board. Due to the nature of this dough, it can be a tad crumbly. Squeezing it helps make it cohesive before you roll it to smooth it out. Place each taralli on your parchment lined sheet.
- Bake the crackers in your preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove and let cool. Store in an airtight container.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
