Click here to go back.
Crescentine are a soft bread, fried in lard, that puffs up like a pillow with a big air pocket when it hits the hot fat, and are typically served hot. Crescentine are commonly served as a starter in restaurants in Bologna, typically served alongside squacquerone — a soft, fresh cheese — and charcuterie such as mortadella and prosciutto.
Mix the water, yeast, and olive oil in a cup to form a slurry. Pile the flour onto a clean work surface and make a well in the middle. Add the yeast slurry into the well and draw in some flour, gradually starting to form a rough dough. Gradually add the milk, little by little, to the dough mixture until a smooth, soft dough forms, kneeding by hand. Set the dough aside in a bowl covered with cling-film or a clean kitchen towel to relax — note it will not rise much in this time.
Once rested, lightly flour a worksurface and roll out with a floured rolling pin until a few millimetres thick. With a very sharp knife, cut the rolled-out dough into squares, about 5-7 centimetres across, discarding all but one offcut that cannot form a square shape (these do not puff up well when fried).
When ready to fry, heat the lard in a deep pan and bring it to temperature, using the offcut of the dough to test: when sufficiently hot, the dough will bubble and sizzle and rise to the surface. When at temperature, remove the offcut from the fat and discard. Gradually fry the squares in small batches, ensuring they are separated in the pan. Each crescentine should rapidly expand like an air-filled pillow and will gradually turn golden brown, with a blistered surface. Once cooked and golden brown on both sides, remove from the oil into a bowl lined with kitchen paper to absorb any excess fat.
Serve immediately.