Fried Zeppole di San Giuseppe are the sweet symbol of St. Joseph’s Day, also known as Father’s Day. Delicious fried choux pastry then filled with custard and syruped sour cherries. I garnished them with delicious and juicy strawberries. A delicious dessert, typical of Campanian tradition. You will obtain fried Zeppole di San Giuseppe, but NOT GREASY, light thanks to the trick of baking them before frying.
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- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Low Cost
- Rest time: 1 Hour
- Preparation time: 45 Minutes
- Portions: 15 Pieces
- Cooking methods: Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Father's Day, St. Joseph's Day
INGREDIENTS FOR FRIED ZEPPOLE DI SAN GIUSEPPE
- 8.8 oz all-purpose flour
- 1 cup water
- 1.76 oz lard
- 6 eggs (medium)
- 1 tsp salt
- as needed vegetable oil
- 1.9 cups milk
- 6 egg yolks (medium)
- 5.3 oz sugar
- 1.23 oz all-purpose flour
- 0.7 oz potato starch
- as needed vanilla extract
Tools
- 1 Saucepan
PREPARATION OF FRIED ZEPPOLE DI SAN GIUSEPPE
In a large saucepan, pour the water, add the salt and lard. Let it dissolve.
When the lard is dissolved, wait for the mixture to boil.
Then pour the flour in all at once and stir immediately.
Remove from heat and continue stirring, so the mixture absorbs all the flour. Return quickly to heat and stir again for a few seconds.Remove the dough from the pot and place it in a bowl, mixing with a wooden spoon, and continue to stir it until it has cooled almost completely. Once the dough has cooled, add the eggs one at a time, slightly beaten.
Continue to knead until you get a homogeneous mixture.Take a piping bag with a star tip nozzle of 8-10 mm, fill it with the dough and form the zeppole on parchment paper by making 2 loops, one on top of the other, with the base loop about 2.5-2.75 inches (6-7 cm) in diameter. You can choose to make smaller zeppole.
At this point, preheat the oven to 392°F (200°C) and bake the zeppole for 10-11 minutes until they have slightly puffed up and have formed a crust.
Prepare a small pan, where you will cook the zeppole one at a time.
Fill with plenty of oil, heat at moderate heat. The oil should reach a temperature of 329°F – 338°F (165°C – 170°C) (not boiling); if you don’t have a thermometer, you can test with a piece of raw dough that should slowly rise.Dip the zeppola and you will see it rise to the surface, but it will color and puff up shortly. The zeppola is ready when it has doubled in volume and is golden brown and puffed. Drain and let cool.
Prepare the custard following the procedure of this recipe. Fill a piping bag with a flower nozzle, start from the center of the zeppola then make a circle around the starting point.
Garnish with a syruped sour cherry in the center or a strawberry.
Your Fried Zeppole di San Giuseppe are ready to be served!
Adriana’s Tip
Zeppole di San Giuseppe should be stored in the fridge and eaten within 2 days.
