Gluten-free Zeppole di San Giuseppe. A fresh and modern version with whipped cream, fresh fruit and a touch of chocolate.
Cooking is an act of love, and this recipe is proof of that. ❤️
Everything started from a request by my sister: being celiac, she looked at me and said: ‘Can you help me? I’m really craving zeppole…’
I couldn’t say no! So I set to work to create a Gluten-Free version that would have nothing to envy to the classic one.
I devised for her a very light mix of rice flour and corn starch, using yolk-rich eggs for that golden color that smells like home.
No classic amarena: I made them special with a mini chocolate, fresh cream and colorful fruit. For a light, crunchy choux pastry, and to make them even more special I replaced the usual amarena with a mini chocolate, fresh cream and lots of colorful fruit.
Seeing her smile at the first bite was the greatest satisfaction. Here’s how I made them…
I’ll leave you a very important tip… Every oven has its own personality and cooking behaviour, so the times I give are indicative. The golden rule is this: never open the oven out of curiosity! Check the baking only through the glass, watching the color.
Zeppole should be well golden and look dry; if you take them out too early, it only takes a second for them to deflate. Trust your eye more than the clock!
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Inexpensive
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Cooking time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 12 Pieces
- Cooking methods: Electric oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 307.61 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 17.60 (g) of which sugars 3.68 (g)
- Proteins 4.40 (g)
- Fat 24.85 (g) of which saturated 5.45 (g)of which unsaturated 3.52 (g)
- Fibers 0.44 (g)
- Sodium 127.87 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 65 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
Gluten-free Zeppole di San Giuseppe
- 3/4 cup water
- 7 tbsp butter
- 1 cup rice flour
- 2.5 oz cornstarch
- 1 pinch salt
- 5 eggs
- 2 cups whipping cream (sweetened)
- as needed fresh fruit (kiwi and strawberries)
- to taste mini chocolates
- to taste spray glaze
Tools
- Baking pan
- Stand mixer
- Parchment paper
- Saucepan
- Piping bag
Steps
Gluten-free Zeppole di San Giuseppe
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, pour the water, the butter cut into pieces and a pinch of salt.
Bring to a boil.When the butter has melted and the water is boiling, add the rice flour and the cornstarch (previously mixed) all at once. Stir vigorously until a compact ball forms. Cook until you see a white film forming on the bottom.
Stir energetically with a wooden spoon and return to low heat.Continue working until a compact ball forms that detaches from the sides (leaving a slight white film on the bottom).
Important…. Transfer the mixture to a cold bowl and spread it out well to let it cool. Do not add the eggs if it is still hot!
Add the 5 eggs one at a time.
Do not add the second egg until the first has been completely absorbed by the dough.You can use electric beaters or the stand mixer with the paddle to make it easier.
At the end you should obtain a consistency similar to a very dense and glossy cream.
Put the dough in a piping bag fitted with a large star tip.
On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, pipe double-ring circles (one on top of the other) leaving a hole in the center.(To get perfectly symmetrical zeppole, I used a trick: take a sheet of parchment and, using a glass, draw spaced circles. Then flip the sheet over (so the dough doesn’t touch the ink!) and secure it to the baking tray by putting a dot of dough at the four corners. This gives you a precise guide to follow with the piping bag and the sheet will stay firmly in place while you work)!
Bake in a preheated convection oven at 392 °F for 15 minutes; then lower the temperature to 374 °F and continue baking for another 10 minutes.When baking is complete, slightly open the oven door by placing a wooden spoon to keep it ajar, leaving the zeppole inside. This removes humidity and prevents the zeppole from deflating once out of the oven.
Whip the very cold cream until stiff.
Once cooled, slice the zeppole in half with a serrated knife.
Pipe a generous ring of cream inside, close with the top shell and add another dollop of cream in the center.
Instead of the classic amarena, place a mini chocolate on top (such as a small square of dark chocolate or a truffle), on the cream, decorate with slices of kiwi and fresh strawberries, and dust everything with plenty of powdered sugar.
Tips
Rice flour absorbs liquids differently than all-purpose flour. Do not add the 5th egg if you see the dough is already fluid. It should have the consistency of a firm pastry cream: when you lift the spoon, the dough should fall slowly forming a triangle (the so-called “ribbon”), without breaking immediately.
2. Always sift the dry ingredients
Cornstarch tends to make small lumps. Sift it together with the rice flour before adding them to the boiling water. This will ensure a very smooth choux pastry without white “specks” inside.
Since you are preparing them for a person with celiac disease:
Cleaning: Clean the oven and trays well (residues of regular flour or breadcrumbs are dangerous).
If possible, avoid wooden spoons (which can retain gluten particles in the fibers) and use a silicone spatula or a stainless steel whisk.
Powdered sugar: Check the package for the label Gluten-Free. Industrial powdered sugar often contains wheat starch as an anti-caking agent!
Gluten-free zeppole are more delicate.
Do not open the oven: For the first 20-25 minutes it is forbidden.
At the end of baking, you can make a very small hole with a toothpick at the bottom or side of each zeppola and put them back in the turned-off oven for 5 minutes. This will let internal humidity escape and make them crunchy outside and dry inside.
Whip the cream with the bowl and beaters well chilled in the freezer. It will hold the weight of the chocolate better.
Pat the kiwi and strawberry slices with absorbent paper before placing them on the cream so they don’t release juice that could “stain” the pure white cream.
Curiosities
Finish with a touch of gluten-free spray gel on the fruit to make it glossy like in patisseries and a final dusting of powdered sugar on the edges of the choux pastry.
If you can’t find a safe spray, you can brush the fruit with a thin layer of apricot jam heated with a splash of water: the glossy effect is guaranteed!
Suggestions for other recipes
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