"Matalugghia is nothing more than a yeasted fried dough, seasoned with dried spices, olive oil and salt.
It’s a Sicilian bread, typical of my home town - Ragusa - and its province, though probably brought to Sicily by the Arabs, as it resembles the Arabic flat bread.
It’s not the kind of bread we eat every day. Our mothers would normally make it when they end up with some leftover dough, so they would just flatten it, fry it in a pan with olive oil and season with a very generous amount of dried oregano and salt. The making of this bread would always cause excitement as, in its simplicity, it would be so fancy and absolutely delicious."
Sicilian Fried Bread
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Prep time 5mins
Cook time 5mins
Serves or Makes: 2
Recipe Card
ingredients
- 9 ounces (250 grams) durum whole wheat flour
- 1/2 ounce (12 grams) fresh yeast, or 4 grams dried yeast
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- water, for kneading
- 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- dried oregano, to taste
- Kosher salt, to taste
Method
Step 1
Dissolve the yeast and sugar in a cup of water and wait until it becomes frothy.
Step 2
Transfer to a large bowl and add the sifted flour. Start kneading adding water little by little. Once the yeast is incorporated, you can add the salt and 1 tbsp of olive oil.
Step 3
Transfer to a table and keep kneading until you obtain a smooth, stiff dough. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let it rise for 1 to 2 hours (depending on the temperature) until doubled in volume.
Step 4
Cut into equal sized parts and shape each into a disc, 1/4" thick - flattening it with your hands.
Step 5
Heat the remaining olive oil in a pan and when it’s hot, add the dough and fry on both sides until slightly browned and bubbles have formed on top.
Step 6
Drain the excess oil on kitchen paper and sprinkle an generous amount of dried oregano and a little salt.
Step 7
Eat by itself (it’s really tasty as it is) or have it with a salad or some olives like we did!