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Pittule
Fried dough balls
Pittule: Salento's soft fried dough balls with olives and capers
In the Salento, the heel of Puglia, pittule are fried on the night of 7 December, the eve of the Immaculate Conception, to open the Christmas season, and again on St Martin's Day in November when the new wine is tasted. The dough is so wet it can't be shaped; it is dropped from a spoon or a wet hand into hot olive oil, puffing into soft, irregular golden balls. Plain ones are dusted with sugar; savoury ones hide olives, capers or cherry tomatoes. Chef's tip: dip your hand or spoon in water before each scoop so the sticky dough slides off into the oil.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 14 oz plain flour
- 1 ¾ cups warm water
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 ⅛ oz black olivespitted and chopped
- 1 tbsp capersrinsed and chopped
- 3 ¼ cups olive or sunflower oilfor frying
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Mix 14 oz plain flour, ¼ oz fast-action dried yeast, 1 ¾ cups warm water and 1 tsp salt into a very soft, sticky batter, beating with your hand for 5 minutes until it stretches. Cover and leave for 1½–2 hours, until doubled and full of bubbles.
110 minStep 2: Stir in 2 ⅛ oz black olives and 1 tbsp capers.
Step 3: Heat 3 ¼ cups olive or sunflower oil in a deep pan to 350°F, or until a drop of dough sizzles and floats at once.
8 minStep 4: Wet a spoon or your hand in water, scoop up a walnut-size piece of dough and let it drop into the oil. Fry 6–8 at a time for 3–4 minutes, turning, until puffed and deep golden. Common mistake: making them too big; the centre stays raw.
16 minStep 5: Drain on kitchen paper and eat hot.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 290 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 40 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does pittule take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of fast-action dried yeast?
- Fresh yeast, three times the weight.
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