Delicious Apulian Friselle Recipe

In a bid to travel around through food, which also happens to be one of our main themes around here, I am bringing you to Apulia. Apulia is where Friselle are from, and let me tell you, they are worth the kilometres. This twice baked Italian bread is one you absolutely need to try, because it’s just so delicious especially when served as tradition wants, covered in fresh tomatoes, black pepper and salt. Or as is, because it’s crunchy and perfect as a snack on the go, at the seaside or even at home when nothing else tickles your fancy.

But let’s not get too much ahead of ourselves, as this is a recipe full of history and tradition and as such it should be savoured. The history of friselle, the way they are served and how they are served are all part of a way bigger picture that dates as back as the X century B.C.

And of course, while we are focusing on the Apulian Friselle, do know the many versions available are from even more regions around the south of Italy, including Campania and Calabria.

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The Amazing Apulian Friselle recipe

This recipe for friselle is pretty easy to make and you’ll be able to store them for a while, so it’s definitely worth it if you love bread as much as we do!

What are friselle and where are they from?

Friselle are a gastronomic product from the south of Italy which are cooked in the oven, cut in half horizontally and then browned again in the oven. The result is something similar to a doughnut, in shape, with a porous side and a compact one. Friselle are not really part of the bread family though, as they are baked twice in the oven.

They are incredibly versatile and can be stored for quite a long time, making them the perfect bake to keep for days (and weeks!) to come. Just as tradition intended (Wikipedia).

What is the history of friselle?

Friselle’s origins date back to the 10th century BC, as they were consumed by Phoenician navigators as travel bread, softened with seawater and flavoured with olive oil. According to other scholars, friselle was also known by the Greek and Cretan people. It also seems that this food was also known by Romans and the term fresella comes from the Latin word frendere, which means to grind, pound, or reduce in pieces.

Before the post-war period, whole wheat flour frisella was reserved only for wealthy tables and for a few other celebratory occasions. The less well-off classes ate friselle made with barley flour or a mixture of barley and wheat.

Nowadays, they are made using durum wheat, and they are commonly called frise or friseddhe, at least in Apulia. Their preparation requires a very specific tool, the sponza-frise, which is a very peculiar bowl made using Grottaglie’s ceramics and covered at the top by a half plate with holes. A practical invention made to rehydrate the frisella with the method of sponzatura: by immersing the frisella in water, you will need to make sure that the product is rehydrated uniformly to avoid the presence of hard areas. A frisella that is not properly soaked will be difficult to bite, resulting in a collapse of the filling on the surface. We most definitely do not want that!

The traditional frisella from Salento can be seasoned with extra virgin olive oil, fresh cherry tomatoes and oregano, making friselle the perfect summer snack.

What ingredients do I need to make friselle?

When it comes to making friselle, you will really not need much. Don’t forget, friselle bread were the poor people’s choice due to their long shelf life. So ingredients do reflect that and are 4 in total including water.

First off, you will need durum wheat flour, and if you cannot get hold of that make sure you use strong bread flour. Then you will need some fresh yeast, salt and lukewarm water. End of it, I know, a surprisingly short list of ingredients – but amazing results to come!

How do I make them?

This Italian recipe is not only easy on the ingredients, but also the making process. It says it on the tin, you are going to be baking. Baking bread on a hot summer day? I know, it doesn’t sound like what you would want to do. But baked bread is a great idea all year-round, and I bet you will be doing it more often than not after trying these.

Traditionally, these are made by hand, but for ease, I have used a standing mixer. The choice is yours, as it’s a pretty straightforward mixing and working the dough.

So, to start, using the bowl of a standing mixer, you will melt the fresh yeast in a little lukewarm water. Then you will add the flour and salt and, using a dough hook, you will work the dough until it’s smooth and soft.

You can now divide the dough into 8 equal parts, then roll each bit out in logs which will need to be 3cm in diameter and 18-20cm long. Now join the ends of each log to create some sort of savoury doughnut, then overlap two of them together and let them rise in a warm spot for 30 minutes or so.

It’s time to bake! Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 15 minutes, then remove the friselle from the oven and separate them. If you find it a little difficult, use some thin kitchen twine to pass in the middle of them. Place them back in the oven and bake for a further 15 minutes. Easy peasy, am I right?!

From 8 friselle, you will end up with 16 rounds – also not too shabby if you ask me! Store them in an air-tight container and use them within a month.

What can I serve them with?

Traditionally, after the sponzatura, the friselle are served with fresh tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil and oregano. Making this one of the recipes you can easily whip up in minutes for an easy and fresh summer snack. Imagine having this on a hot July day, when all you want to taste is a fresh, summery and cold snack. Yum! If you are after something else to have before or with them, these ciriole pasta and pasta alla cenere will work wonders for your guests!

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So that is the end of the recipe for these friselle! I hope you will enjoy making them as much as we did – and even more so eating them as much as we did. Hopefully, with the nice weather and good seasons coming, may the friselle keep flowing!

If you fancy making something different, try this gnocco fritto immediately, or even this Torta Paradiso!

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