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Coccoli con stracchino
Fried dough with creamy cheese
Coccoli: Florence's hot fried dough balls with creamy stracchino
ItalianIn Florence, coccoli are little balls of bread dough fried until puffy and golden, piled into a basket and served hot with stracchino, a soft, fresh, slightly tangy cow's-milk cheese, and usually with prosciutto too. They are the start of a meal in Florentine trattorie and a snack at street stalls in the evening. This is the vegetarian way, with cheese only; stracchino is often made with animal rennet, so look for a vegetarian soft cheese if needed. Chef's tip: salt the coccoli the moment they come out of the oil, while they are still glistening, so the salt sticks.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 14 oz plain flour
- 1 cup warm water
- 3 ½ tbsp milk
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 ¼ cups sunflower or peanut oilfor frying
- 1 tsp flaky salt
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Mix 14 oz plain flour, ⅛ oz fast-action dried yeast, 1 cup warm water, 3 ½ tbsp milk, 2 tbsp olive oil and 1 tsp salt into a soft dough and knead for 8 minutes, until smooth. Cover and leave for 1½ hours, until doubled.
100 minStep 2: Pull off pieces the size of a walnut and roll them into rough balls. Leave on a floured tray for 15 minutes.
15 minStep 3: Heat 3 ¼ cups sunflower or peanut oil in a deep pan to 350°F. Fry 8–10 at a time for 3–4 minutes, turning, until puffed and golden and hollow-sounding when tapped. Common mistake: oil too hot; they brown outside and stay doughy inside.
16 minStep 4: Drain on kitchen paper and sprinkle at once with 1 tsp flaky salt.
Step 5: Serve hot in a basket with 10 ½ oz stracchino, crescenza or a vegetarian soft cheese for spreading.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 360 kcal
- Protein
- 11 g
- Carbs
- 38 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does coccoli con stracchino 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 vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- 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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