Taralli scaldati - Puglia Dry Bread
1kg Flour
200ml Olive Oil
50g Fennel Seed
2tsp Baking Powder
2 Eggs
1tsp Salt
Pepper
1. Mix the flour, baking powder, fennel seeds, salt and pepper together on a
marble or cold kitchen surface.
2. Form the flour into a mound with a well in the middle, into this break the
eggs and add the oil.
3. Mix this together to form a dough, adding a little warm water to the mixture
to soften it.
4. Roll the dough into long thin rolls about 10inches long. Loop the ends around
to form pretzel shapes, space them out and leave to rise for 15 minutes covered
with a clean kitchen cloth.
5. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas 6.
6. Dip each taralli into a pan of boiling water, remove, dry and place on an
oiled baking sheet.
7. Bake for 20 minutes.
Serve cold. Usually eaten with a glass of wine or beer.
A sweet version can be made by omitting the eggs and adding a glass of sweet Marsala Wine.