🫓 Sandwich Breads · Bologna
Crescentine fritte (Bologna fried bread)
In Bologna, crescentine are diamonds of dough fried until they puff up and turn hollow inside. Modena and Parma call them gnocco fritto or torta fritta. Serve them hot in a basket with mortadella, prosciutto, salame and soft stracchino or squacquerone.
- Prep 20 min
- Cook 20 min
- Makes 6
Ingredients
- 500 g plain flour (type 0)
- 10 g fresh yeast (or 4 g dried)
- 150 ml lukewarm milk
- 100 ml lukewarm water (sparkling works well)
- 40 g lard, softened (or 2 tbsp olive oil)
- 10 g salt
- Lard or peanut oil for frying
Method
- Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk.
- Mix the flour and salt, add the yeast milk, water and lard, and knead into a smooth, soft dough.
- Cover and leave to rise for about 1½–2 hours, until doubled.
- Roll out to 3–4 mm thick and cut into diamonds or rectangles about 6–8 cm long.
- Fry a few at a time in lard or oil at 175–180 °C. They will puff up almost immediately. Turn them once and fry until golden, about 1 minute per side.
- Drain on paper and serve straight away with salumi and soft cheese.
Tips
- Frying in lard is traditional and gives the classic flavour.
- Don't crowd the pan, or the oil cools and they turn greasy.
Sources
Rewritten in our own words from the traditional versions listed above. ← All recipes