Ingredients
4 cups flour*
1 package of traditional dry yeast (2 1/2 teaspoon)
1 cup white wine
1 cup warm water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
*Measurement is approximate
Directions
Activate yeast in 1 cup warm water (Takes about 10 minutes).
Add the salt and cumin to the flour.
Mix the warm water (with the activated yeast), white wine and vegetable oil together.
Stir the liquid ingredients with the solids, working into a smooth dough (Takes about 10 minutes of kneading).
Shape the dough into a ball and place in an oiled container.
Cover the container with a warm blanket.
Let the dough rest for about 8 hours (or overnight).
Break off a piece of the rested dough (the size of a small lemon) and roll it between your palms, forming a long rope, about 21 inches long, 1/2 inch thick.
Continue until all the dough is processed.
Cut the ropes into three parts. Roll each part in the palms of your hands and make a thin rope, 7 inches long, 1/4 inch thick.
Form a circle with the rope and pinch the ends together.
Place the circular-shaped taralli on oiled aluminum baking sheets (or one lined with an "oiled" silicon baking mat).
Bake in a preheated 350 F degree oven for about 30 minutes or until the taralli are golden brown.
Notes
When I was growing up in the 1960s taralli were not available in the shops. The only ones around were the ones one's mother made, and as my own mother came from Molise the taralli were always made with eggs and flavored with fennel seeds. Nowadays anything and everything can be found in Italian shops -- taralli come in all kinds of flavors. However, cumin is not one of them. That's a pity because the taste is quite good -- as good, if not better than fennel... Photo: by the contributor. |
