TARALLI (Crunchy Wine & Olive Oil Rings)

If you grew up around Italian kitchens, you know that taralli are never “just snacks.”

They’re the little rings that appear on the table while someone’s cooking, the thing Nonna keeps in a tin “for guests,” and the crunch you hear in the next room with a glass of wine.

These are the classic Southern Italian style: olive oil + dry white wine, shaped into slightly irregular “eyelid/loop” rings, then baked until evenly golden with a dry, crisp bite.

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TaralliRecipe

Cooking Times and Servings

• Prep time: 25 minutes

• Rest time: 30 minutes

• Bake time: 25–30 minutes

• Total time: ~1 hour 25 minutes

• Servings: about 50–60 small taralli

Ingredients

• 4 cups all-purpose flour (about 500 g), plus more for dusting

• 1 3/4 tsp fine sea salt

• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil (120 ml)

• 3/4 cup dry white wine (180 ml), room temperature

• Optional (classic variation): 1 tsp fennel seeds

• Optional finish: a tiny dusting of flour before baking (for that “lightly floured” look)

Instructions

1) Make the dough

1. In a large bowl, whisk together flour and salt (and fennel seeds, if using).

2. Add olive oil and rub it into the flour with your fingertips until it looks like damp sand.

3. Pour in the white wine gradually, mixing with a fork, then knead by hand 6–8 minutes until you get a smooth, firm dough (not sticky).

   • If dry: add wine 1 tsp at a time.

   • If sticky: dust with 1 tbsp flour at a time.

2) Rest

• Cover the dough and let it rest 30 minutes at room temperature. This relaxes the gluten so shaping is easier.

3) Shape “occhiello” taralli (the irregular loops)

1. Heat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.

2. Pinch off small pieces of dough (about 10–12 g each, roughly a heaping teaspoon).

3. Roll each piece into a rope about 4–5 inches long, then fold and twist into an irregular loop (don’t aim for perfect circles—the slightly uneven “eyelid” shape is authentic).

4. Place on trays with a little space between.

4) Bake until evenly golden

1. Bake 25–30 minutes, rotating the trays halfway through, until uniformly golden with a dry-looking surface.

2. Cool completely on a rack. They crisp up more as they cool.

Tips and Tricks (to match the look in your photo)

• Texture & porosity: The dough should feel firm. Softer dough puffs more and looks breadier.

• Uniform golden color: Keep oven steady at 350°F and rotate trays once.

• Light flour finish: If you want that subtle “dusty” look, lightly flour your hands while shaping—don’t coat the taralli heavily.

• Make-ahead: Taralli taste even better the next day once fully dry and crunchy.

Storage

• Store in an airtight tin or container at room temperature for 2–3 weeks.

• Keep away from humidity (taralli hate moisture).

Nutritional Facts (Estimated, per 1 tarallo; assuming ~55 pieces)

• Calories: 55

• Carbs: 7 g

• Protein: 1 g

• Fat: 3 g

• Saturated Fat: 0.4 g

• Fiber: 0.3 g

• Sugar: 0 g

• Sodium: 70 mg

(Values vary by size and brand of ingredients.)

TARALLI (ITALIAN OIL & WINE RINGS)

Simple ingredients, BIG tradition: olive oil + white wine, shaped into those rustic little “occhiello” rings

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 25 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Italian Cookies

Cuisine Italian

Servings 60 taralli

Notes

Ingredients

• 4 cups all-purpose flour (about 500 g), plus more for dusting
• 1 3/4 tsp fine sea salt
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil (120 ml)
• 3/4 cup dry white wine (180 ml), room temperature
• Optional (classic variation): 1 tsp fennel seeds
• Optional finish: a tiny dusting of flour before baking (for that “lightly floured” look)

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Instructions

1) Make the dough

1. In a large bowl, whisk together flour and salt (and fennel seeds, if using).
2. Add olive oil and rub it into the flour with your fingertips until it looks like damp sand.
3. Pour in the white wine gradually, mixing with a fork, then knead by hand 6–8 minutes until you get a smooth, firm dough (not sticky).
   • If dry: add wine 1 tsp at a time.
   • If sticky: dust with 1 tbsp flour at a time.

2) Rest

• Cover the dough and let it rest 30 minutes at room temperature. This relaxes the gluten so shaping is easier.

3) Shape “occhiello” taralli (the irregular loops)

1. Heat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
2. Pinch off small pieces of dough (about 10–12 g each, roughly a heaping teaspoon).
3. Roll each piece into a rope about 4–5 inches long, then fold and twist into an irregular loop (don’t aim for perfect circles—the slightly uneven “eyelid” shape is authentic).
4. Place on trays with a little space between.

4) Bake until evenly golden

1. Bake 25–30 minutes, rotating the trays halfway through, until uniformly golden with a dry-looking surface.
2. Cool completely on a rack. They crisp up more as they cool.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!