Sardinian zeppole or classic Zippulas, the long spiral zeppole with saffron in the dough. The very soft Sardinian zeppole are leavened dough fritters shaped into spirals prepared with a funnel, a bottle or a piping bag: do you know them? The spiral fritters are delicious Carnival sweets typical of Sardinia that are really easy and quick to prepare, just like most fried desserts. They have different names depending on the area: Zippulas or Tzipulas, Frisciolas, Frittura Araba, Cattas, Frisjoli long and are slightly crunchy on the outside and very soft on the inside, made with a fairly wet dough that is poured directly into the hot oil forming a spiral. These fried dough rings that you can also find in Sardinian bars and pastry shops are made with a few simple ingredients and can be easily prepared at home — in fact the Homemade Fried Sardinian Zeppole are perfect for a tasty snack, a special breakfast and also great to serve with a good coffee. Certainly the Sardinian Carnival Fritters are not a light dessert, but I assure you that at least once a year they’re really worth making; the Sardinian Carnival zeppole will win you over from the very first bite! Before going to the kitchen, I remind you that if you want to stay updated on all my recipes, you can follow my Facebook page (here) and my Instagram profile (here).

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Difficulty: Very easy
Cost: Very inexpensive
Rest time: 2 Hours 30 Minutes
Preparation time: 10 Minutes
Portions: 8 fritters
Cooking methods: Frying
Cuisine: Italian
Seasonality: All seasons

Ingredients to make Sardinian zeppole

3 cups durum wheat semolina
1 2/3 cups milk (warm)
1 sachet saffron
2 oranges (juice and zest)
1/4 cup brandy or strong spirit (or Sardinian filu 'e ferru (filo 'e ferru))
1 egg
3 tbsp sugar (for the dough)
1/2 tsp salt
1 packet active dry yeast (or 12 g fresh)
as needed sugar (for finishing)

Tools

Piping bag
Pan
Bowl

Steps to make Sardinian zeppole

To make the spiral Carnival fritters, pour the semolina into a large bowl, add the warm milk and the yeast dissolved in 2 tbsp water, add the sugar and mix.
Add the egg, the brandy or filu ‘e ferru (I used a grappa I had on hand), the orange zest and 1/2 cup of orange juice. Mix the mixture,
and finish by adding the salt and the saffron. Mix the dough, which at the end should be very soft and sticky, place it in a warm spot to rise until doubled, this will take about 2 to 3 hours.
Once it has doubled, using the piping bag, pipe spirals of dough directly into the hot oil (I use high-oleic sunflower oil, ideal for frying) and let them brown on one side and then the other. I fry one fritter at a time. Lift the spirals with a skimmer, place them on paper towels and then toss them directly in granulated sugar so it sticks. The spiral fritters are ready — now devour them in no time!
Sardinian spiral fritters are best eaten fresh, but they stay soft for a whole day and you can warm them before eating. The next day they will naturally be less crisp, but still good. If you store them in plastic bags or airtight containers, the sugar will tend to dissolve, so leave them exposed to air and consume within 24 hours (just like bread).