Taralli pugliesi, a rustic snack made of unleavened dough, baked until crunchy, shaped either as elongated ovals or as small rings, called tarallucci in this case. The dough is made from durum wheat flour, white wine, oil and salt and often flavoured with fennel seeds.
Ideal for an aperitif or a daytime snack.
Makes about 30 Taralli | Preparation time: 30 mins + 3 to 4 hrs drying | Cooking approx: 40 mins
- Remilled Durum Wheat Semolina’s Flour: 500 g
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO): 120 ml
- Dry white wine: 100 ml
- Salt: a tablespoon
- Fennel seeds: a heaped tablespoon
Method
orm a well with the sieved flour, gradually pour the white wine, then the oil, a pinch of salt and some fennel seeds, first stir with a fork and then work the dough with your hands until it is soft and of a homogeneous texture.
Wrap with cling film or a kitchen cloth and allow dough to rest in a warm, dry room for 30 minutes.
Begin shaping Taralli by taking a small portion of dough and forming it in the shape of a breadstick about 10 cm long with a diameter of about 1 cm; continue in this fashion until the dough is done.
Make an ovalshape and seal it by overlapping the two ends, pressing them together with fingertips.
Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil, plunge in the taralli about 3-4 at a time, and take them out of the water as soon as they rise to the surface.
Lay taralli on a kitchen towel and allow to dry out for 4 hours.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/ 400 F/Gas 6.
Space out the taralli on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake in a preheated, static oven for approx. 30 minutes or until golden brown. If still slightly damp, let them sit in the oven for a few more minutes.

Allow Taralli to cool down completely on a wire rack before serving.

10 Comments
do you have any other suggestions besides the fennel for toppings, seeds or flavoring? or is fennel tradtional?
Yes, as I wrote, fennel seeds are traditional, but can find taralli even like that:
Most commonly, the taralli are prepared with fennel seeds, as in the recipe below. You can however also add chili flakes, anise or even small pieces of onion.
These are so fantastic! It took a bit of trial and error to get the hang of the right technique when shaping and boiling, but I finally got into a groove and the flavor was perfect!
Dear Whitney,
Your constancy has therefore been rewarded! Well done 🙂
I am very pleased to know that you appreciated them, and from time to time it becomes easier and easier to prepare Taralli.
This is always a hit with the family! We can’t get enough.
Hi Katie,
same thing by these parts, one leads to another and it’s hard to resist!
What a great recipe. I had never tried them before but I found them to be just delicious!
Thank you so much, Christina
I’m glad you found them delicious, they really are!
Our recipes are a little different, as is the way we shape our Taralli. I can’t wait to try your recipe! Buon Natale!
Different ways but all of them delicious.
Thank you, David ?
Leave a Reply