Name: Scorpelle
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: Makes approximately 20 medium or 40 small
Ingredients: 850g strong white bread flour; 50g wholemeal flour; 22g salt plus extra to serve; 450g levain; oil for deep-frying; 50g active 100% hydration starter see tip; 100g strong white bread flour; 100g plain wholemeal flour

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Scorpelle

Scorpelle

Giovanna Solimando

Published: September 3, 2026 at 3:02 PM

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Makes approximately 20 medium or 40 small

More effort

Prep: 1 hr

Cook: 30 mins

plus resting and overnight proving

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Scorpelle are small pieces of bread or pizza dough that are deep-fried until crispy and golden. They are traditionally eaten on Christmas Eve in my hometown Puglia

Dairy-free

Egg-free

Nut-free

Vegan

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Ingredients

Nutrition

Units:

MetricUS

850g strong white bread flour
50g wholemeal flour
22g salt

plus extra to serve
450g levain
oil

for deep-frying

For the levain

50g active 100% hydration starter

see tip
100g strong white bread flour
100g plain wholemeal flour

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Nutrition: per serving

kcal118
fat0.5g

low
saturates0.1g
carbs25g
sugars1g

low
fibre2g
protein3g
salt0.62g

Method

step 1

Make the levain. Mix 50g active starter with 200ml water and the white and wholemeal flours. Cover and set aside to ferment at room temperature. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix 850g white flour and 50g wholemeal flour by hand. Add 620ml water and mix just until combined. Cover and let it rest for 30 mins.
step 2

Add the salt and 450g of the levain to the dough, and mix and fold until fully incorporated — I like using Ken Forkish’s pincer method. Cover with a tea towel or put in an airtight container and leave to prove at room temperature for 3-4 hrs, stretching and folding the dough on itself every 30 mins, until smooth and elastic. Transfer the dough to the fridge to cold-prove overnight.
step 3

Remove the dough from the fridge and leave to come back to room temperature until it has roughly doubled in size, feels soft and airy, and jiggles when you shake the container. Lightly oil or flour your surface. Gently stretch the dough into a rectangle about 1cm thick. Then, use a knife or a dough scraper to cut it into rough rectangles weighing about 100g each (or 50g for smaller scorpelle). You don’t need to weigh them all: weigh one, then cut the rest to roughly the same size. Alternatively, you can pinch small pieces of dough straight from the container and drop them into the hot oil to fry.
step 4

Half-fill a deep pan with oil and heat until it's 182-187C. Alternatively, use a deep-fat fryer. Line a tray with kitchen paper, then drop the pieces of dough in the heated oil, turning occasionally, until golden and crispy, 2-4 mins. Transfer the cooked scorpella to the tray and sprinkle with salt while hot. They are best eaten immediately with antipasto such as cheese or cured meat.

Tip

100% hydration starter is one fed with equal quantities of flour and water. See our guide for making a starter. If you’d rather use commercial yeast, skip making the levain and use the following amounts in the mix: 850g white flour, 150g wholemeal flour, 750g water, 20g salt, 2g instant dry yeast. This dough will be ready roughly 5-6 hours after mixing.

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