Struffoli
Honey fried dough balls
Struffoli: Naples's Christmas wreath of tiny fried dough balls in honey
No Neapolitan Christmas is complete without a plate of struffoli: hundreds of tiny balls of dough, fried until golden, then rolled in warm honey with candied orange and coloured sprinkles and piled into a wreath or a cone. Families make them in the week before Christmas, often together around the kitchen table, and give them away to neighbours. They keep for days under a cloth and are eaten with fingers or a spoon. Chef's tip: roll the ropes of dough no thicker than your little finger and cut tiny pieces, about the size of a chickpea; they puff up as they fry.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 10
Ingredients
For the dough
- 14 oz plain flourplus extra for dusting
- 3 eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 oz caster sugar
- 1 ¾ oz buttersoftened
- 1 lemonzest only
- 1 orangezest only
- 1 pinch salt
- 4 ¼ cups sunflower or peanut oilfor frying
For the coating
- 10 ½ oz runny honey
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 ¾ oz candied orange peeldiced
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Mix 14 oz plain flour, 1 oz caster sugar, 1 pinch salt and the zests of 1 lemon and 1 orange. Add 3 eggs, 1 egg yolk and 1 ¾ oz butter and knead for 5 minutes into a smooth, soft dough. Wrap and rest for 30 minutes.
35 minStep 2: Cut the dough into pieces and roll each into a rope about 1 cm thick. Cut into 1 cm pieces and toss them in a little flour so they don't stick.
20 minStep 3: Heat 4 ¼ cups sunflower or peanut oil in a deep pan to 350°F. Shake the excess flour off a handful of struffoli in a sieve and fry for 2–3 minutes, until puffed and golden. Drain on kitchen paper. Repeat with the rest. Common mistake: oil too hot; they brown outside and stay raw inside.
20 minStep 4: Warm 10 ½ oz runny honey with 1 tbsp sugar in a wide pan over a low heat for 3–4 minutes, until runny and just bubbling. Take off the heat.
4 minStep 5: Tip in the struffoli and half of 1 ¾ oz candied orange peel and stir gently until all are coated.
Step 6: Pile onto a plate in a ring or cone with wet hands, then scatter with the rest of the peel and 2 tbsp coloured sugar sprinkles (diavulilli). Leave for 1 hour to set. Not suitable for babies under 1 because of the honey.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 380 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 58 g
- Fat
- 14 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does struffoli take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 60 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 10 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- 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 eggs?
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water per egg, left for 5 minutes (baking only; vegan).
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