In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and fennel seeds.

Make a well in the center and pour in the olive oil and white wine. Mix with a fork, then your hands, until a shaggy dough forms.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured board and knead for 8 to 10 minutes until smooth and dense, more like a bread dough than a cracker dough. Add a spoonful of flour if it feels sticky.

Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and let it rest at room temperature for 15 minutes so it stops springing back when shaped.

Pinch off pieces of dough about the size of a walnut, around 15 g each, to make about 50 rings total. Roll each piece into a rope 15 cm / 6 inch long and pinch the ends together to close the ring.

Bring a 6-quart / 5.7 L stockpot of water to a rolling boil and stir in 1 tbsp salt. Heat the oven to 190 C / 375 F and line two sheet pans (33 x 46 cm / 13 x 18 inch) with parchment.

Boil the tarallini in batches of 10 to 12 so they don't stick together. They're ready when they float to the surface, about 1 to 2 minutes. Don't let them boil longer or the crumb turns dense instead of light.

Lift the boiled rings out with a slotted spoon and drain on a clean kitchen towel, spaced apart, so they dry a little before baking.

Arrange the dried rings on the prepared sheet pans, leaving space between each one. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, rotating the pans halfway, until deep golden and firm to the touch.

Cool the tarallini completely on a wire rack before eating. They crisp up fully as they cool, so a soft one straight from the oven isn't a sign of failure.