Gnocco fritto is a delicious fried bread appetizer typical of the Emilia Romagna region of Italy.
It is a simple fried dough made from flour, water, yeast, and lard and then fried to perfection and consumed right away while still hot accompanied by a cheese and meat board filled with cheese and cold cuts or served by itself to kick off a big Sunday lunch.
Soft and tasty, these fried dough puffs are an Emilian cuisine specialty with unmatched goodness and are a frequently found in the markets and places serving typical Emilia Romagna street food.
The recipe below is the original Emilian gnocco fritto recipe that is traditional as well as fairly straightforward.
In this recipe, the dough is kneaded by hand without requiring the use of a stand mixer. You’ll just need to prepare a pre-dough batter and let it rise, which will result in a light and digestible product, then knead in additional flour and the lard. If you prefer a lighter version, you can replace the lard with butter or olive oil.
Equipment:
cutting board or surface for kneading the dough
frying pan for frying the gnocco fritto dough
slotted spoon for removing the gnocco fritto fried in oil
paper towels to absorb excess oil
Ingredients
Here are the simple ingredients you’ll need to prepare gnocco fritto:
All-purpose flour 4 cups (500 grams) – you can stir the flour with a fork or consider sifting it for the best outcome.
Water 0.85 cups (200 grams) – although tap water will work, some cooks swear that using sparkling water will take your gnocco fritto to the next level.
Active dry yeast (1 teaspoon) – check the expiration date and if you don’t get enough rise the first time, throw it out and start over with yeast that is still active.
Lard 4.73 tbsp (70 grams) – use a soft, spreadable lard or you can substitute with the same amount of butter or extra virgin olive oil.
Sugar (1 teaspoon) – to “feed” the yeast and make sure you get a good rise in your fried dough puffs.
Salt 2 tsp (12 grams + on top as desired) – to make your fried dumplings salty, but don’t overdo the salt especially when serving with cured meats that also have a fair amount of salt in them.
Vegetable oil (as needed) – a mild vegetable oil like sunflower oil works great. You can use lard for frying the gnocco fritto treats if that is your preference. Some recipes call for frying in extra virgin olive oil, but we don’t feel like it is worth the extra expense involved.
How to make gnocco fritto step-by-step
Make the starter: Make a batter by mixing 8 tbsp (60 grams) of the flour with the dry yeast, the sugar, and 7 tbsp (50-60 grams) of the water (photo 1). Cover with plastic wrap (photo 2) and let rise at room temperature or, if the weather is too cool place it inside the oven with the light on, until it doubles and many bubbles form on the surface, usually about 1 hour.
Create the gnocco fritto dough: Now add the rest of the flour and water (photo 3). Knead by hand until all the liquids are absorbed. If the dough is too hard, and there is still flour around the bowl, add another tablespoon of water, but just enough to combine everything and get elastic dough.
Gradually add the lard or butter (photo 5): add a piece, knead, then add another piece. The dough should be smooth and soft. Add the salt, then knead again.
Form a ball and cut a cross at the top (photo 7). Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place (about 80°F) until it triples in volume, about 2 hours (photo 8).
Roll out and shape individual pieces: Roll out the dough with a rolling pin, sprinkling with a pinch of flour above and below. Form a rectangle about 3 millimeters thick (photo 9). Cut into 2-inch-wide strips, then cut them diagonally to obtain a diamond shape (photo 10).
Fry them up: Heat a saucepan with plenty of oil. When the oil reaches frying temperature, place one or two pieces at a time (photo 11), wait for the dumplings to swell, and turn them on their other side. Cook for a minute, then remove with a slotted spoon (photo 12) and drain on a paper towel before transferring to a serving plate.
Serve and enjoy: Serve hot or cool, perhaps with a sprinkling of salt flakes and accompanied by or stuffed with Italian cheese and cured meat to make it into a main dish if you feel like it.
Variations of gnocco fritto
Baked gnocco fritto. If you are trying to cut calories, you can bake your gnocco fritto instead of frying them. First preheat the oven to 390° F (200° C). Place the gnocchi on a baking sheet lined with baking paper and put in the oven once hot. Bake for about 10 minutes, turning over once. Remove when golden brown and puffy.
Sweet gnocco fritto pastries. After frying the gnocchi, let them cool slightly and then use a pastry syringe to fill them with about a spoonful of jam, Nutella, chocolate or vanilla cream, or whipped cream, as desired. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve the pastries still slightly warm.
Expert tips for making gnocco fritto
Let it rise even longer. For and even more flavorful gnocco fritto, after it has risen the second time, form it back into a ball and let it mature in the refrigerator for between 12 to 48 hours. When you are ready to fry, let the dough come up to temperature for an hour and then shape and fry your gnocchi.
Use sparkling water. Bubbly water is fun to drink and is also an Italian cooking secret for getting extra rise when making this gnocco fritto recipe.
Other Italian street food recipes:
Tigelle Foccaccine Bread Recipe
Panelle (Sicilian Chickpea Fritters)
FAQs
How long can I keep gnocco fritto?
Just like any fried food, gnocco fritto is best eaten right away. However, you can keep them up to 1 day in an airtight container at room temperature, but be aware that they lose some of their original flavor as time goes by.
How should I serve gnocco fritto?
Gnocco fritto is perfect to serve as an appetizer and is usually stuffed with Italian cheeses and cold cuts. It is usually served with the delicious cured meats from the Emilia Romagna area, such as prosciutto crudo di Parma, salame Felino, Coppa Piacentina, and the delicious Culatello di Zibello, just to name a few.
However, if you don’t want to spend the extra money on fancy prosciutto or Parmigiano Reggiano, you can certainly substitute with ham, pastrami, cheddar, provolone or even soft cheese or anything you would typically enjoy on a sandwich. Gnocco fritto is very versatile!
Gnocco fritto is also perfect to serve instead of baked bread, a bit like the Neapolitan zeppole di pasta cresciuta.
Gnocco fritto
Ingredients
Instructions
Nutrition
History of gnocco fritto fried dough bread
The gnocco fritto recipe appears to have been handed down to the Emilians from the Lombards during their domination in Italy. Depending on the area of Emilia, the same basic recipe has a different name. In Modena and Reggio-Emilia it is simply called gnocco fritto (al gnòc frétt, in dialect); in the Bologna area it takes the name of crescentina; in the province of Ferrara it’s called pinzino; in Parma you’ll see the name torta fritta; and in Piacentino it is often called chisulén.
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