Ingredients
"Plain" Taralli Baresi [makes about 32 taralli]
5 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 cup olive oil
3/4 cup dry white wine
1 1/8 cup warm water
1/2 teaspoon sugar [to help activate yeast]
1 packet traditional Brewer's dry yeast (2 1/2 teaspoons)
Olive oil for greasing containers to place the dough in overnight for resting
Olive oil for brushing tops of taralli
A large pot of water to boil taralli in
Directions
To activate the yeast:
o Warm up the 1 1/8 cup of water (Water should be warm, not hot).
o Take the pot of water off from the stove and stir in the sugar.
o Add the yeast to the warm water and then cover the container [to keep warm].
o Let the water rest for ten minutes. If after ten minutes the yeast has bubbled up, it is activated and can be used to make the taralli dough.
To make the taralli dough:
o Mix the flour and the salt together.
o Mix the wine with the warm water in which the yeast has been dissolved in.
o Add the solids to the liquids and work into a fine taralli dough. Knead for ten minutes. [N.B. If one is not using an electrical appliance to knead the dough one makes a mound with the flour on a wooden board and then makes a well in the flour and slowly incorporates the solids with the liquids. However, if one has a Kitchen Aid or its equivalent then one can mix the liquids in the bowl, and then slowly add the flour, first using the beaters to incorporate the dough, and then [after the 4th cup of flour] using the dough hooks.]
o Divide the dough into two portions and shape into balls.
o Using olive oil, grease two medium-sized containers with lids.
o Place the dough in the oiled containers and place the lids on them.
o Cover the containers with blankets. If the room is very cold, use more than one blanket (Eiderdowns work well).
o Let the dough rest for six to eight hours (or overnight).
To make the taralli:
o Remove the rested dough (It should have doubled in size and feel light and puffy) from one of the containers.
Shape into a log and place on a wooden board.
o Break off a piece of the log, about the size of an orange, and roll it between your palms and fingers to form a rope about 12 inches long and 2 inches thick [One can also turn the dough into a rope on the wooden board but it is easier if one does it between the palms of one's hands, though obviously one can utilize both methods -- one can roll the dough on the wooden board and in between the palms of one's hands -- going from one to the other, depending on what works best].
o Cut the rope in half and then again roll the piece between your palms and fingers to form yet another rope about 10 inches long and 1 inch thick [Basically, one is stretching the dough, so that one gets more from less] -- the size of a thick bread stick. [N.B. If the dough is not stretching as it should be for whatever reason, then skip No. 3. Take a smaller portion of the dough, and roll it between the palms and fingers to form a rope. This will result in fewer number of taralli, but they should, nonetheless, be O.K. in the taste department.]
o Shape the ropes into rings or loops [Check out Taralli Baressi, Version I for picture of loop version], pinching the ends together.
o Place the taralli on a linen tablecloth and continue until all the dough is processed.
Cooking the taralli in boiling water
o Bring a large pot of water to boil.
o Place two or three taralli at a time in the boiling water and then remove with a slotted spoon as soon as they rise to the surface -- about a minute or less (Not more, or they will get soggy).
o Place the taralli on aluminum baking sheets to drain them or place them on a clean linen tablecloth [Do NOT use kitchen paper towels, as they will stick to the taralli and ruin them completely.]
o Let the taralli rest for about 5 minutes.
Baking the taralli
o Place the rack on the upper top half of the oven.
o Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F for about 15 minutes (The reason the oven is preheated is not only to get the right temperature, but also because the broiler comes on at the start and as one does not one to subject the containers in the oven to the broiler, one needs to wait for it to turn itself off).
o Brush the tops of the taralli with olive oil (Optional)o Place the taralli on greased aluminum baking sheets or ones lined silicon baking mats (The baking sheets don't have to be made of aluminum but this material does seem to work better, as the bottom of the taralli don't cook as fast as with other types of material, thereby making it less likely that the bottoms will burn).
o Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes to 55 minutes or until the taralli look golden brown. If the bottoms are cooking faster than the tops, flip them towards the last 15 minutes or so. (N.B. The longer the taralli cook the crispier they will get, but the longer they cook the bigger the risk they will burn -- so one has to keep a close eye on them.).
o Remove from oven and cool before serving.
Notes
"Taralli Baresi" have become North America's most popular style of taralli. In fact, most non-Italians assume that "taralli Baresi" made with wine and flavored with fennel or black pepper are the "authentic" taralli and everything else is an imitation. Of course, this is an error. Molise's egg-based taralli and Campania's almond-based taralli are just as authentic as Pulgia's wine-based taralli but it's hard to convince the convinced. "Taralli Baresi" are popular in North America not only because are tasty and crunchy (Have a potato chip flavor) but also because a number of large companies have marketed them. They are easily available in Italian grocery shops, big box stores and, of course, on the internet. "Taralli Baresi" are often described as "Italian pretzels" because they have a crunchy texture and do look a lot like them (In fact, in some areas of Puglia, taralli are also shaped to look like "8s" as are pretzels -- see recipe for "Tarallucci di Vino"). However, "Taralli Baresi" generally come in two major shapes -- round or loops. North Americans of Italian origin will argue for hours which of the two shapes is more traditional then the other, but it seems to be that both shapes are equally traditional. Generally speaking, the taralli from Puglia are thicker than those from other regions in Southern Italy (though in some areas of Puglia the taralli are as thin as anywhere else....). Most experts insist that a taralli is only a taralli if it's baked twice -- first in boiling water and then in the oven. However, there are quite a few "traditional" taralli recipes from Southern Italy that do not require the pre-boiling of the taralli. Italians are by nature quite versatile -- and so are their recipes. Nonetheless, some companies are presently marketing the "Taralli Baresi" in the braided form and suggesting this is the traditional form when in fact, it isn't. Taralli, in the braided form, were generally reserved for very special occasions in pre World War II Italy. At that time all baked goods were considered a treat and even regular-shaped taralli would be reserved for Sunday meals or for guests, especially in the countryside. Taralli were (and still are) served with wine. Many like to dunk the taralli in wine. The salt in the taralli is supposed to enhance the flavor of the wine, and work up an appetite as well. Nowadays, North Americans of Italian origin generally consider store-bought taralli as snack food. They are eaten any old time. In the 1950s home-made taralli were were generally reserved for Sunday visitors. They were served alongside sweets. Even though they were considered a more "manly" food than cookies and pastries, women savored them as much as the men. They were served with wine or coffee. At that time new immigrants made their taralli at home using centuries-old regional recipes. Up to the mid 1980s they continued to do so, but at this time the recipes started to change, reflecting the cosmopolitan flavor of the North American cities they settled in. Those from Molise became friends with those from Puglia, recipes were exchanged and soon what experts call "fusion" took place. A bit of this and a bit that were added to the original recipes, and by and by the original recipes got lost. Well -- not in all households, but in some households this did occur. In the 1990s big companies started to market taralli and suddenly Italians decided making them at home was "too much trouble." Happily, with the advent of Kitchen Aid style of equipment (Thank God for the dough hook!) making taralli is no longer that hard to do. Also, recipes that avoid a number of steps -- including the boiling of taralli and the use of yeast -- have surfaced. And so more and more individuals are into making their own taralli. This is really a good thing as store-bought taralli are not half as good as the ones baked at home. In fact, some of the ones presently on the market are actually quite awful. If done well, home-made taralli are edible works of art. Of course, doing them well takes patience and practice.... Photo: Mary Melfi. |
