Pastarelle Salento, the original recipe for milk biscuits

A traditional dessert from Salento, pastarelle or in local jargon pastareddhe, are classic biscuits to accompany milk, prepared in ancient times by Salento housewives for their families. They were usually cooked in bakers' wood-fired ovens, after having been prepared at home. In short, a legacy of tradition, preserved for a long time up to the present day, with small variations even in the same municipalities of Salento, then exported to other cities of Puglia.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 kg of 00 flour
• 4 eggs
• 300 g of sugar
• 300 ml of milk
• 160 ml of extra virgin olive oil
• 20 g of ammonia for desserts
• 2 sachets of vanillin
• 1 lemon (per peel)

PREPARATION

Prepare a mixer or alternatively a pastry board and place your flour in a well, placing the eggs, sugar, grated lemon peel and vanilla sachets inside. Mix everything and once you have obtained a homogeneous mixture, add the milk gradually until the mixture is smooth and homogeneous. Consider that it must not be too soft nor too hard.

Then use a rolling pin to roll out the dough you have obtained, forming a rectangle, half a centimeter thick. From this, cut small rectangles to place on a baking tray which you will cover with baking paper. Brush your rectangles with egg white and sprinkle with sugar.

Preheat your oven and cook your pastarelle for about 25 minutes at 170°. After this period of time, remove the pasta from the oven and let them cool a little; you can store them in airtight bags or containers.