Beccutini: fried potato dough from the Stiappa festa

Last updated: October 2026

Every Ferragosto, the little village of Stiappa in the Pescia valley fries beccutini by the basketful. They’re small, golden fingers of fried potato dough. Some people have them rolled in sugar, some salted, and most go back for both.

Now, here’s the honest bit. The Stiappa beccutino is made to a family recipe that’s been handed down through the generations, and that recipe isn’t published anywhere. Quite right too. So what you’ve got here is a home version of fried potato dough that gets you close. It isn’t the Stiappa recipe, and I’d never pretend it was.

What is a beccutino?

The Pro Loco in Stiappa describes the beccutino as fried potato dough, made to a traditional recipe passed down from generation to generation. You eat them hot, either sweet or savoury. They’re cousins of the fried dough you find at festas all over Tuscany, but they’re shaped like little fingers, and the potato makes them soft and light inside.

Stiappa is one of the ten villages of the Dieci Castella, high up in the Pescia valley. The village is quiet most of the year, but on Ferragosto the whole place turns out. My post about the Sagra del Beccutino has the men in flowery pinnies, the music and the rest.

Ingredients (home version)

• 250 g floury potatoes, such as Maris Piper or russet (1 large)
• 500 g 00 or plain flour (about 4 US cups), plus extra for dusting
• 7 g sachet fast-action dried yeast (2¼ tsp)
• 1 tsp fine salt
• About 200 ml lukewarm water (a generous ¾ US cup)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Sunflower or peanut oil, for deep-frying
• Caster sugar (superfine sugar in the US) or flaky salt, to finish

Method

1. Cook the potatoes (20 to 30 minutes). Boil them whole in their skins until a knife slides in. Peel while warm and mash or push through a ricer. Leave to cool until just warm.
2. Mix the dough (5 minutes). In a big bowl, mix the flour, yeast and salt. Add the potato and olive oil, then pour in the water bit by bit, mixing as you go, until you have a soft dough. Potatoes vary, so you may not need all the water.
3. Knead (8 to 10 minutes). Knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth and soft. It should be a little sticky. Don’t add too much flour.
4. Rise (1 to 1½ hours). Put it back in the bowl, cover with a tea towel and leave somewhere warm until doubled.
5. Shape (10 minutes). Knock it back gently. Pull off walnut-sized pieces and roll each one into a short, fat finger, about 6 to 8 cm long. Lay them on a floured tray.
6. Heat the oil. Fill a deep pan no more than a third full of oil and heat it to 170 to 175°C. Without a thermometer, a cube of bread should go golden in about 30 seconds.
7. Fry (2 to 3 minutes per batch). Fry a few at a time, turning them, until puffed and golden all over. Don’t crowd the pan, or the oil cools and they go greasy.
8. Finish straight away. Drain on kitchen paper. Roll some in sugar while they’re hot, sprinkle the others with salt, and get them on the table.

Tips

• Use floury potatoes. Waxy salad potatoes make a heavy dough.
• Keep the dough soft. Soft dough makes light beccutini.
• Be careful with hot oil. Never leave the pan, keep a lid nearby and keep children well back. A deep-fat fryer with a thermostat is safer.
• Eat them hot. Like all fried dough, they’re best within minutes. They don’t keep well.

UK and US notes

• Flour: Italian 00 flour is in most UK supermarkets. Plain flour or US all-purpose flour works fine.
• Yeast: UK fast-action yeast is the same as US instant yeast. If you only have active dry yeast, dissolve it in the warm water first.
• Potatoes: Maris Piper or King Edward in the UK, russets in the US.

What to serve with them

• Sweet ones: with coffee, or a glass of vin santo.
• Savoury ones: with sliced prosciutto and a cold beer, festa style.
• Both: with the other Pescia valley dishes on my recipes page.

FAQ

When is the Stiappa beccutino festa?

It’s held on 15 August, Ferragosto. In 2026 it started at 5pm. Check the Pro Loco Stiappa’s page nearer the time for the next date.

Can I bake them instead?

You can bake the dough as little rolls, but they won’t be beccutini. Frying is the point.

Can I make the dough ahead?

Yes. After kneading, let it rise slowly in the fridge overnight. Bring it back to room temperature for an hour before shaping.

You might also enjoy:

• All my Tuscan recipes
• The Sagra del Beccutino in Stiappa
• The Dieci Castella driving route
• Tuscany sagre month by month

Susan

Sources: Pro Loco Stiappa; Il Cittadino di Pescia. Photos: my own, at the Stiappa festa.