Ingredients
about 1 pound bread dough (made with flour, yeast and olive oil)
2 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons lard
2/3 cup honey
Directions
Make a bread dough, using flour, yeast and olive oil (Or use a store-bought fresh bread dough).
Allow the dough to rest in a warm room until it doubles in volume.
When the dough has risen, grease a baking sheet with olive oil.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
To make the honey taralli
Using an electric beater, combine eggs, lard and honey.
Place the risen dough on a floured wooden board and mix the lard-honey-egg mixture with the risen bread dough, kneading until a smooth dough is formed -- about 6 minutes.
Take a small piece of dough and shape into taralli-style log -- about 9 inches long and 1/2 inch thick.
Shape the log so that it looks like the number 8 -- this can be done by folding the log in half and then braiding it. Pinch the ends together. Alternatively, one can form a circle with the log, rather than present it as the figure 8.
Bring a large pot of water to boil.
Place two or three taralli in the pot and remove as soon as they rise to the surface -- about 10 to 20 seconds.
Remove with a slotted spoon.
Place on a clean linen cloth (to usurp the water).
Arrange the taralli on the baking sheet that has been well-greased or lined with parchment paper.
Bake in a preheated 350 F. degree oven until golden -- between 25 to 35 minutes.
Notes
This recipe was published many years ago. I had no idea that taralli could be made with honey. I knew that in Campania almonds were often mixed into the dough to make taralli, but being from Molise, where the taralli are made with the usual egg-flour mixture, this combination shocked me. I myself didn't try the recipe so I can't say if I like the honey taralli or not, but they sure sound interesting. The picture attached to this entry is of a taralli that does not include honey in it. One made with honey would be much darker in appearance. Comments and photo: Mary Melfi. |
