Forget the bag of chips! This recipe for these Crunchy Addictive Italian Anise Taralli taste like a gourmet version of a breadstick. Great for snacking.
Stir and let stand for 10 minutes (will get foamy).
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the rest of the ingredients.
Add the yeast mixture.
With dough hook attachment knead for approximately 10 minutes until you have a soft, smooth elastic dough. Alternately, you can knead by hand.
Cover loosely with plastic wrap and tea towel and allow dough to rest for at least 1 hour.
Place the ball of dough on an un-floured wooden board.
Knead the dough for about 1 minute.
Separate the dough into quarters (cover the dough you are not using).
Cut each quarter into 16 pieces. (each piece should weigh about 25 grams-almost 1 oz).
Roll each 25 gram piece of dough into a rope approximately 8 inches long and ¼ inch in diameter (about the size of a pencil).
Join the two ends together to form an elongated ring and line them up on a wooden board. (There is no need to flour your cutting board when you are rolling your taralli. Feel free to adapt any sized ring-shape when you are making these taralli; if you want thin crispy taralli, the diameter must be ¼ inch thick). Make sure that you press the ends firmly together.
Bring a large pot of water to boil, then reduce heat so that the water simmers.
Plunge the taralli in boiling water; 3-4 at a time. Once they surface to the top, remove with slotted spoon. The boiling process (per batch) should take less than 15 seconds.
Place on cooling rack to drain.
Repeat process until all the taralli have been boiled.
Place boiled taralli directly on oven grates or on a parchment lined cookie sheet.
Bake in a preheated oven at 375° F for 10 minutes, then lower heat to 350° F for another 10-15 minutes until golden brown and crisp. (Set oven rack in the center).
Notes
1 cup=142 gramsTaralli will last about 1 month when stored in a dry place. I will usually keep mine in a basket, uncovered. I prefer to use the more pronounced taste of olive oil in my taralli. Feel free to use a vegetable or canola oil.Please keep in mind that the nutritional information provided below is just a rough estimate and variations can occur depending on the specific ingredients used.