Crunchy taralli biscuits from Puglia

A jar of these moreish taralli never lasts long in our house! The perfect savoury snack to have on hand—experiment with your favourite flavours, the possibilities are endless. One bite of these morsels will transport your tastebuds to beautiful Puglia.

There are a variety of ways of making taralli, which can vary from region to region. Taralli biscuits in Puglia are usually smaller (tarallino) and made with olive oil and wine. In the city of Lecce, on the Salento Peninsula, I stumbled upon a taralli paradise—La Casa del Tarallino, a shop with a creative assortment of flavours: black pepper; olive; raisin and onion; turmeric; and fennel, to name a few. The following recipe includes a few of my favourite flavours, but you can experiment with your own ingredients too. This version, inspired by The Apulian’s Matilde Guido’s family tradition, is a quicker take on classic taralli, as it skips the usual pre-boiling step. You may also like to double the recipe to satisfy your cravings!

PUGLIA-STYLE TARALLI

Taralli Pugliese

Makes approximately 30-40

INGREDIENTS

Taralli

• ⅓ cup olive oil

• ⅓ cup dry white wine

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 250g (2 scant cups) plain flour (all purpose)

Peperoncino

• ½ teaspoon dried chilli flakes

Fennel

• ½ tablespoon fennel seeds

Pizza

• ½ tablespoon tomato paste

• ½ teaspoon dried oregano

• ¼ teaspoon onion powder

METHOD

1. In a large bowl combine the oil, wine, salt and ¼ cup of warm water. Gradually add the flour and stir with a fork as you go. Mix until combined, then use your hands to form into a dough.
   

2. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes until smooth. Roll into a log shape and slice into 3 large pieces, so you can create 3 different flavours. If you’d prefer 2 flavours, divide in half.
   

3. Flatten each piece with your hand and sprinkle the surface with the herbs and spices. Then fold the dough over itself, kneading the flavours into the dough until evenly distributed. For the pizza flavour the dough will be stickier, so add an extra dash of flour when kneading.
   

4. Preheat a fan-forced oven to 180C.
   

5. Pinch off small pieces of dough and roll them into ropes approximately 10-15 cm in length and the width of your finger. Wrap the rope into a ring shape. Pinch the ends firmly together.

   
   

   

   
   

6. Place the taralli onto oven trays lined with baking paper. Bake in a preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Bake for slightly longer if you like an ultra crunchy texture.
   

7. Allow the taralli to cool to develop their signature crunch. Serve them as a snack or enjoy the biscuits by dipping them in coffee or wine.