Struffoli

The Method for Struffoli

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1. Work the flour, eggs, yolk, butter, sugar, both zests, limoncello and salt into a smooth firm dough, 8 minutes. Wrap and rest it 30 minutes.

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2. Roll pieces of dough into ropes 1 cm thick and cut them into 1 cm lengths.

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3. Heat the oil to 170°C / 340°F. Fry the pieces in small batches 2 minutes, until puffed and pale gold.

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4. Lift them out with a slotted spoon and drain on a rack, not on paper.

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5. Warm the honey with the water in a wide pan over low heat until it runs freely. Do not let it boil.

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6. Take the pan off the heat, tip in the struffoli and the candied peel and turn them until every piece is coated.

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7. Pile them into a ring on a plate, using an oiled bowl in the centre to shape it.

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8. Scatter with sprinkles and leave to set 20 minutes before serving.

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Related guide: Prep, cook and total time.

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What Can Go Wrong

1. Warm the honey, never boil it. Boiled honey sets like cement.
2. Small batches at 170°C / 340°F, or they soak up oil.
3. Drain on a rack. Honey will not stick to an oily surface.

Good to Know About Struffoli

The honey is warmed only until it runs, never boiled. Boiled honey sets hard as it cools and welds the whole ring into a single inedible lump; warm honey stays tacky and lets the pieces separate under a spoon. Fry in small batches at 170°C / 340°F — a crowded pan drops the oil temperature and the dough absorbs rather than puffs — and drain them properly before they meet the honey, because any oil left on the surface stops it sticking.

What to Serve It With

Espresso · Limoncello · The whole family standing round the plate

Keeping Struffoli

At room temperature under a cloth for 5 days. Do not refrigerate.

Common Questions

Struffoli Nutrition Facts

No nutrition figures are given for this recipe: they cannot be worked out reliably from its ingredient list (some ingredient lines cannot be read). Why some recipes have none.

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