Baked zeppole for St. Joseph’s Day, the traditional March 19th sweet made with choux pastry, filled with pastry cream and amarena cherries in syrup. A light and fluffy oven-baked version, perfect for those who prefer baking without giving up the taste of the classic recipe.
The choux pastry — that is, the dough used to make cream puffs — is the perfect vessel for this indulgent recipe and I assure you the result was truly exquisite!!!!!!
The zeppole for St. Joseph’s Day can also be fried: place each ring of choux pastry on a small square of parchment paper and let it slide into a pan of seed oil heated to the right temperature, about 338°F, then fry normally on each side.
Zeppole are prepared for Carnival and also for Father’s Day on March 19…but they are so, so good any day of the year!!!!!!!!!
Here I leave you the recipe for the 
maestro Knam’s pastry cream
and this one for the 
MICROWAVE PASTRY CREAM
P.S. Lately, because of many daily commitments I’ve started cooking even after dinner and I’ve included in the method some photos taken last night under the kitchen light—please forgive me if, as you can see, they aren’t the best!
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I opened a recipes channel open to everyone and free on WhatsApp—no notifications and no sound—where you can subscribe by clicking the link here https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaHbGIn9cDDig7Cw2x0F and every day you can read one sweet and one savory recipe!
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BAKED ZEPPOLE sweet recipe CHOUX PASTRY
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: about 18-20 zeppole
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients RECIPE BAKED ZEPPOLE sweet recipe CHOUX PASTRY
- 1 cup water
- 7 tbsp butter
- 1 1/4 cups 00 flour (all-purpose)
- 4 medium eggs
- 1 pinch fine salt
- 2/3 cup milk (for me: high quality)
- 2 medium egg yolks
- 2 1/2 tbsp 00 flour (for the pastry cream)
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 1/3 tsp vanilla extract (for me: Paneangeli)
- as needed amarena cherries in syrup
FOR THE PREPARATION OF THE RECIPE BAKED ZEPPOLE sweet recipe CHOUX PASTRY
To prepare the choux pastry, bring the water to a boil in a saucepan with the butter and a pinch of salt.
When it boils, add the flour off the heat all at once and stir vigorously, using a whisk if you like.
Return to the heat and continue stirring until the mixture starts to pull away from the sides of the pan and sizzles.
Off the heat, let it cool slightly, then add the whole eggs one at a time, adding the next only after the previous is well incorporated into the dough.
Fill a piping bag and on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper pipe ring shapes, then bake in a preheated oven at 374°F.
Bake at this temperature for about 10 minutes then lower to 338°F, leaving to bake for a total of about 25 minutes or according to your oven’s characteristics.
It is important to start at a higher temperature so that the choux ring will puff up immediately, and with the lower temperature it will have time to cook perfectly inside and should be hollow.
Of course during this time you must not open the oven for any reason!!!
After about 20–25 minutes, turn off the oven and let the heat escape by wedging a wooden spoon into the oven door.
First, heat the milk over moderate heat until almost boiling.
Meanwhile, beat the egg yolks in a bowl with the sugar, then add the sifted flour and … dilute with the hot milk.
Put the mixture back in the saucepan and, over low heat, continue cooking until the cream thickens, adding the vanilla extract.
Cover the pastry cream with plastic wrap touching the surface and let it cool completely.
Put the pastry cream into a piping bag and fill/decorate the baked zeppole.
Add an amarena cherry in syrup to each choux pastry ring and serve all the baked zeppole at the table…
DEVOUR THEM…
Enjoy your meal!
Annalisa
