The Baked Savory Zeppole or Baked San Giuseppe Savory Zeppole I prepared for the first time a few days ago, didn’t puff up as well as the sweet ones do, but I think I got the oven temperature wrong. It’s an old oven and it can no longer maintain heat well. That said, they tasted great and the flavor was there, and we really enjoyed these baked savory zeppole with mozzarella and ham, so today I’m here to write the recipe. We know choux pastry very well by now; the web and blogs are full of recipes that pop up every year from March 1st to 20th to remind us that March 19th is Father’s Day. Indeed, I only make the San Giuseppe Zeppole for this occasion, though I should vary as they are so good and easy to make.
If you want to make the sweet San Giuseppe Zeppole following my recipe, you can read it on the blog.
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Below are some other recipes you can make with choux pastry:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Energy 789.40 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 45.24 (g) of which sugars 1.16 (g)
- Proteins 26.63 (g)
- Fat 57.23 (g) of which saturated 33.90 (g)of which unsaturated 23.49 (g)
- Fibers 7.86 (g)
- Sodium 526.04 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 125 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients to prepare 12 Baked Savory San Giuseppe Zeppole
- 1.7 cups water
- 7 oz butter
- 2 cups flour
- 0.5 tsp salt
- 6 eggs (medium-large)
For the filling, you are free to choose any ingredients you like best. They are also perfect as a fridge-clearer, for example: do you have only two slices of prosciutto, one slice of cooked ham, and some cheese slices? Perfect! We will have two fillings and the creaminess of the cheese slice to bind everything! In my case, I chose a soft mozzarella to cut into thin slices and two slices of cooked ham that I had bought to prepare the savory puff pastry rolls.
Tools to make Baked Savory Zeppole
- 1 Piping bag
- 1 Baking tray
- 1 Pot
- 1 Wooden spoon
- 1 Spatula
- parchment paper
- 1 Knife
Never, ever make choux pastry with beaters or a mixer. If you don’t have a stand mixer, use a large bowl or steel pot, a nice big one, and a wooden spoon. Proceed like this: work the choux pastry after you have poured the flour into the water where we dissolved the butter, adding one egg at a time, possibly beaten in a small bowl with a fork. With the wooden spoon, you will mix it into the dough until it is fully absorbed, only then you can add the next egg.
Recipe Steps
As I mentioned, making choux pastry is a relatively simple recipe. It doesn’t require too many ingredients but a few well-done steps, without rushing, to avoid that it won’t puff up during baking, as often happens. So, let’s take a pot with nice high sides and pour in the water, add the butter, and place it on the stove over medium-low heat until it almost reaches a boil. At this point, turn off the heat and pour in the flour and salt, stirring with the wooden spoon until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pot on its own. Let it cool at room temperature for about 20 minutes. If you’re in a hurry, spread the dough repeatedly with the wooden spoon in the pot. I always prefer to let the dough rest so that in the meantime I can heat the oven to the right temperature and prepare the ingredients for filling the San Giuseppe Zeppole, whether sweet or savory.
After this time, we are ready to incorporate the eggs into our choux pastry dough. Remember, do not rush; one egg at a time, and work with the spoon until it is completely absorbed. If the eggs are very large, only five may be necessary, as they can be quite large and make the dough sticky. In my case, I used six as they were from Grandma Rita’s chickens, so of various sizes. Some recipes require even 7 or 8 eggs as a maximum to make the dough fluid, of course, it should all be related to the amount of flour, butter, and water to be used.
Returning to our recipe, preheat the oven in static mode at 350°F to 390°F, then proceed to incorporate one egg at a time until you obtain a lump-free, dense, and sticky mixture. Now take the piping bag and pour the choux pastry into it. I always choose the large tip because I like large Zeppole; they stay crispy on the outside and softer inside.
Then take the baking tray and cover the bottom with parchment paper. Create the San Giuseppe Zeppole, nice and big, and keep the right distance between one and the other to let them puff up during cooking. Generally, I do three batches of trays. Indeed, as one tray is ready, I bake it for about 20 minutes. You will see the savory zeppole puff up, and the surface will brown. This will be the perfect moment to remove them from the oven and let them cool at room temperature. Proceed like this until you finish the prepared choux pastry. Before filling the savory or sweet zeppole, let another 20 to 30 minutes pass; don’t rush to cut them open to fill them. This is also a crucial step for the success of this recipe. Once the proper resting time has passed, we can fill the baked savory zeppole as we like and finally enjoy them with our family or guests. Of course, one more is obligatory for the Super Dads! Bon appétit!!!
Variations:
The variations, as indicated in the recipe text, can be multiple, from the number of eggs to use to make the choux pastry to the most varied fillings. The San Giuseppe Zeppole, whether sweet or savory, are perfect for letting your imagination run free, creating new taste and flavor combinations every single time you prepare these little cream puffs.
