Ciambelline al Vino

I feel obligated to warn you about the one side effect of cimabelline: in Italian we say that “una tira l’altra”, meaning that one ciambellina (singular form for ciambelline) is inevitably followed by another, then another, and another…

Ciambelline al Vino

• 4 cups All-Purpose Flour
• 1 cup Sugar – ¼ cup set aside for coating
• 1 cup Oil – canola or olive
• 1 cup White Wine – dry
• ½ tsp Baking Soda

For the dough

In a large bowl, mix together the wine, sugar, oil, and baking soda. Stir in the flour all at once. Mix well with a wooden spoon until incorporated. Work the dough on a lightly floured wooden surface for one minute, until pliable and shiny. Do not overwork or the biscuits will be chewy once baked.

Refrigerate for 20 minutes wrapped in cling wrap.

Shape and bake

Preheat oven to 390°F

Return the dough to your workbench to start the cimabelline-shaping process. Take a walnut-size (or 2 tbsp worth) piece of dough and roll it into a ½” thick cylinder. Join the ends together slightly overlapping to form a ring. Repeat the process until you run out of dough. 

Place the ¼ cup remaining sugar on a shallow plate and press the rings of dough gently down on the sugar. Place the rings on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, sugary side up.

Bake for 28 min if you want ciambelline with a soft interior, or 35 min if you want with a delicious crumbly, crunchy caramelized exterior. I guess it isn’t difficult to figure out which option I prefer.

Extras and Tips

Eat the ciambelline as-is, or dipped in white wine as a late afternoon happy hour ritual. My mom makes this recipe often just to have something crunchy and snackable in the house at all times. My dad is a veritable sweet tooth, so he always pulls the tin filled with these biscuits out after dinner while watching soccer on TV. I wonder if he munches to just keep awake during the boring matches!

This recipe alway brings back happy childhood memories. When my brother and I were growing up, we used to eat the ciambelline in the morning for breakfast dipped in caffe latte, the Italian equivalent of a café au lait, before getting ready for school. We watched the Smurfs while sipping on our coffees and dipping biscuits and sweet breads. 

Yes, it is normal for Italians to have sweet pastries, biscuits, or cereal in the morning along with an espresso, cappuccino, or any other hot beverage involving coffee (tea in the morning is not allowed). And yes, it is also socially acceptable to let your children eat foods that contain small doses of alcohol, in moderation that is. I can’t recall my parents even forbidding us from consuming sweets any time of the day or night. When I say sweets, I speak of homemade bundt cakes and morning breads and biscuits, rather than packaged processed pastries with a ton of preservatives and added sugar.