Neapolitan Zeppole Fried or Baked Recipe
Zeppole di San Giuseppe or Neapolitan Zeppole are a typical sweet from Campania pastry, especially Neapolitan, famous all over Italy, created to celebrate Father’s Day but now prepared and enjoyed all year round.
These are fried pastries made with choux pastry filled with a generous dollop of pastry cream and topped with syruped cherries and a dusting of powdered sugar.
Super delicious and light, despite being fried, the Zeppole are a rich dessert with a millenary history. The name, in fact, would derive from Joseph who, fleeing to Egypt with Mary and Jesus to support the family, began frying pastries and selling them on the street. It is for this reason that throughout Italy the Neapolitan Zeppole are the typical sweets of Father’s Day.
Preparing them at home is not difficult as long as you follow a few simple tips and know some tricks that I will reveal in the notes at the end of the recipe.
Like all traditional preparations, there are many versions of Neapolitan Zeppole, besides obviously those baked in the oven for a lighter version, there are also cocoa Zeppole, or the traditional ones filled with chocolate cream and cherries.
Today we will prepare the original recipe of the Zeppole di San Giuseppe as my grandmother used to make it, who after several attempts had managed to find an impeccable result.
So, let’s put on the apron and start cooking!
I almost forgot, I’ll also leave you the oven version in case you want to feel a little less guilty….
Related Recipes.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 10 pieces
- Cooking methods: Oven, Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
- Energy 1,052.75 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 25.92 (g) of which sugars 8.39 (g)
- Proteins 7.59 (g)
- Fat 104.31 (g) of which saturated 12.37 (g)of which unsaturated 87.14 (g)
- Fibers 0.66 (g)
- Sodium 266.47 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 70 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
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 7 tbsps butter
- 1 cup water
- 5 eggs
- 1 tsp fine salt
- 4 cups sunflower seed oil
- 1.1 lbs pastry cream
- to taste syruped cherries (about 10/12)
- powdered sugar
Tools
- 1 Small pot
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Frying pan
- 1 Baking tray
- 1 Pastry bag
INTRODUCTION
First, prepare the Pastry Cream, you will need about 500 g (Foolproof pastry cream recipe). Then you can focus on the dough for the Zeppole.
Pour the water into a pot, add the salt, then also add the butter and stir continuously until it melts. At this point, add all the flour at once, lower the heat to minimum and continue stirring until the dough pulls away well from the sides. Turn off the heat and transfer the mixture to a bowl. Add an egg to the still warm dough and mix with a spoon to absorb it. Proceed in the same way with the other eggs until you get a thick but creamy mixture.
Butter a baking tray and once you have transferred the dough into a pastry bag with a star nozzle (15 mm), make the zeppole. You need to do two rounds starting from a diameter of the first circle of about 4 inches. Make sure to space them well apart. Bake them in a preheated static oven at 392°F for about 10 minutes. This pre-baking in the oven will form a nice outer crust and absorb less oil when frying (1st trick!)
While the zeppole are baking in the oven, heat plenty of seed oil in a high-sided pan until it reaches a temperature of 338°F. Meanwhile, 10 minutes will have passed, remove the Zeppole from the oven and fry them immediately in the hot oil to prevent them from deflating. Turn them often and fry until they are well golden. Drain them and let them drain the excess oil on a plate with absorbent paper.
As soon as the Zeppole di San Giuseppe have cooled, dust them with powdered sugar and add a generous amount of pastry cream in the center, garnish with syruped cherries and serve accompanied by a good cup of tea or coffee.
STORAGE
Like all fried products, Neapolitan Zeppole should be enjoyed as soon as they are ready. If they should be left over, they can be stored in the refrigerator in a sealed container for up to 1 day.
NOTES
DOUGH Before adding the flour to the water and butter, make sure the butter is completely melted and that the water is boiling. The flour should be added all at once and mixed vigorously.
EGGS Allow the dough to cool slightly before adding the eggs; otherwise, if it is too hot, it may cook the eggs. I recommend adding them one at a time and slightly beaten with a fork.
COOKING The trick of double cooking, first in the oven and then fried in the pan, I discovered thanks to the master pastry chef Sal de Riso. This way, your Zeppole will be crispier on the outside and less greasy.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
What’s the difference between Zeppole and Bignè di San Giuseppe?
Zeppole are often confused with Bignè di San Giuseppe; in reality, they are two distinct sweets. Bignè di San Giuseppe differ from Neapolitan Zeppole in their shape, which is more similar to that of cream puffs, and for the absence of pastry cream on top, which is instead inside.
How many days can empty zeppole be stored?
Neapolitan Zeppole, fried or baked, once cooled, can be stored in an airtight box for up to 3 days. Alternatively, you can freeze them for up to 1 month and thaw them as needed.
How to make the pastry bag for zeppole?
If you don’t have a pastry bag and don’t want to buy one, you can make it at home. Just take a piece of baking paper and roll it to form a cone. To fix the paper cone and prevent it from opening while using it, you can secure it with a piece of tape. The last thing you need to do once filled is to cut the tip with scissors to create a hole and use it.
What is the best nozzle for making zeppole?
To get perfect Zeppole, you should use a closed star nozzle with 7 points and a diameter of about 0.94 inches.
