Gnocco Fritto (Italian Fried Dough)

5 from 1 vote

Gnocco Fritto (also known as Crescentine) is an incredibly delicious Italian snack from the Emilia-Romagna region. Crispy pillows of savoury fried dough served warm with cured meats and cheese!

Prep Time20

Cook Time20

Proving time2

Total Time2 40

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: gnocchi (depending on size)

Calories: 62kcal

Author: Emily Wyper

Ingredients

500 g Italian 00 flour (4 cups)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon fast action (instant) yeast
½ teaspoon fine salt
250 ml whole milk (1 cup plus 1 tablespoon)
70 g lard or butter (2.4oz or 5 tablespoons)
Sunflower oil for frying

For serving

Prosciutto crudo or other cured meats
Stracchino or Crescenza cheese

Instructions

Warm the milk in a saucepan then turn off the heat and set aside. Make sure it’s warm and not hot.
Put the flour, yeast and sugar in a large mixing bowl and stir together. Make a well in the centre of the flour and add the warm milk (please note: check your packet instruction for how to use your yeast. If it needs activating in liquid first, you can add it to the warm milk for 5-10 minutes before starting).
Stir everything together until a very rough dough has formed. Add the lard and salt and knead the dough with your hands until the lard is fully incorporated into the dough.
Put the dough into a clean bowl and cover with plastic wrap (cling film). Let the dough rise at room temperature for 2 hours.
Put the sunflower oil in a large frying pan so it’s about 2 inches deep. Heat to 180C using a thermometer.
Meanwhile, lightly sprinkle a clean work surface with flour and roll the dough out until about 3mm thick.
Using a pizza wheel or knife cut the dough into rough squares about 5-6cm wide. Fry the gnocchi in small batches until puffed and golden brown (1-2 minutes each side). Drain on kitchen paper and serve with cheese and prosciutto.

Video

Notes

- Activating the yeast - the yeast we use does not have to be activated in water first but make sure to check your packet instructions in case yours does. If it does, you can add it to a small amount of the warmed milk.
- Proving the dough - I let my dough rise a room temperature, away from direct sunlight.
- Use a thermometer - I recommend using a thermometer to keep an eye on the temperature of the oil. Fry them in small batches and try not to over-crowd the pan to make sure they cook evenly.
- Use a kitchen scale - as always, I recommend using a kitchen scale when working with flour as measuring cups are so inaccurate and give you different results each time.
- Storage - the gnocco fritto are best served immediately but will keep in an air-tight container for 1-2 days. The dough can be stored in the fridge for 1-2 days before frying or can be frozen.

Nutrition