Baked Gluten-Free St. Joseph’s Zeppole for Father’s Day.

My St. Joseph’s Zeppole are gluten-free and baked. I know the “real” ones are fried and fried is always tastier, but here we don’t fry anything. Also, it’s Father’s Day and the celebrant likes them this way. 😅

Of course, with the same recipe, you can choose to fry them.

Besides the cooking method, there are various opinions on the filling too. I chose the one I remember from childhood, hollow inside, covered with a rich layer of custard and topped with a dollop of dark chocolate custard… they are incredible!!

Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Cheap
Portions: 8 zeppole
Cooking methods: Oven
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

2.1 oz rice flour
1.1 oz gluten-free potato starch
1.1 oz cornstarch (cornflour)
0.5 cup water
1.5 tbsp milk (also lactose-free)
3.4 oz butter (also lactose-free)
3 eggs
1 tsp sugar
1 pinch salt
1.5 cup milk (also lactose-free)
3 egg yolks
3.5 oz sugar
1.4 oz rice starch
1.1 oz dark chocolate
to taste vanilla
to taste powdered sugar

Steps

In a saucepan, melt the butter with the water until it almost reaches a boil. Remove from heat and add the mixed flours, stir vigorously with a spoon and put back on the heat.
Cook for a couple of minutes, then transfer the mixture into a bowl, add the milk, and mix with an electric mixer or better yet, with a stand mixer using a paddle attachment.
Beat the eggs and start adding them to the mixture gradually, waiting for them to be absorbed by the dough.
You will get a thick but soft mixture.
Line the baking sheet with parchment paper. Put the mixture in a piping bag with a large star tip, about 0.6 inches, mine is a bit smaller and I did two rounds of dough. Create the zeppole by making circles of dough.
Bake in a preheated oven at 374°F with fan mode. After 10 minutes, they will be nicely puffed and starting to color. Lower to 356°F in static mode and continue baking for 20 minutes, keeping the oven door ajar for the last 5 minutes. Once cooked, take them out and let cool.
While the zeppole are baking, prepare the custard. Start heating the milk in a saucepan.
Separately, in a bowl, beat the egg yolks with sugar until pale and frothy, then add the starch and vanilla. Pour a little warm milk into the yolk mixture and mix well, then add the rest and put back on the heat.
Cook on low heat, stirring continuously. When it starts to thicken and simmer, the custard is ready.
Chop the chocolate and place it in a glass bowl. Pour 1/3 of the custard over the chocolate and mix well to melt it. Pour the rest of the custard into another bowl.
Cover both with plastic wrap in contact with the surface (to prevent skin from forming) and let cool.
When everything is at room temperature, dust the zeppole with powdered sugar. Transfer the white custard into a piping bag with a star tip and cover the zeppole, first with a swirl of white custard then a dollop of chocolate custard.
Let them set in the refrigerator for at least a couple of hours before enjoying.