Friends, if you follow me and know me well, you know that I particularly love the recipes of master Massari, from the Milano shortcrust, to the quick puff pastry, to the tiramisu and the chiacchiere. Could I not try these wonderful Fried and Baked Zeppole di San Giuseppe? Naturally, the dough for the zeppole is choux pastry, and logically with this dough, we can also make cream puffs. To make choux pastry, milk is usually not used, only water. This recipe from the choux pastry master also includes milk and I tell you it’s wonderful because thanks to the presence of milk, we get more golden cream puffs or zeppole. But if you want or prefer to use only water, replace the amount of milk with more water. If you want more golden zeppole and do not want to include milk, you can add a teaspoon of granulated sugar. As for the type of flour, it is 00, but I recommend using flour with a low protein content, max 10%, otherwise the dough might get wet and slightly gummy, compromising the success of the recipe. The structure of the dough is achieved by using eggs that must be rigorously added one at a time. You should add the second egg only when the first has been very well incorporated into the dough. A pinch of salt will enhance the flavor. Another important tip is to cut the butter into pieces and ensure it is completely melted before adding the flour. Another tip from the legendary master Massari is to use a perforated silicone mat instead of baking paper when cooking in the oven. With the mat, the choux pastry will grip and develop in height rather than collapsing to the ground. If you absolutely don’t have one available, it’s better to slightly butter the tray and place the zeppole.
If you like Massari’s recipes, also read:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Very economical
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 20 zeppole
- Cooking methods: Oven, Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Winter, Spring
- Energy 250.39 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 22.06 (g) of which sugars 9.81 (g)
- Proteins 6.39 (g)
- Fat 15.70 (g) of which saturated 7.57 (g)of which unsaturated 5.21 (g)
- Fibers 0.36 (g)
- Sodium 54.35 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 60 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
- 1 1/4 cups water
- 3/4 cup milk (You can replace it with an equal amount of water)
- 7 oz butter
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (with 10% protein)
- 1 lb eggs (medium, about 8)
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 2/3 cup fresh liquid cream
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup cornstarch
- 6 oz egg yolks (6 yolks)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (natural)
- 20 syruped sour cherries
- to taste powdered sugar
Tools
- 1 Stand Mixer
- 1 Pot
Steps
Let’s start preparing the custard. In a pot, heat the milk, fresh cream, and natural vanilla extract.
In a bowl, combine the sugar and eggs with a whisk
Stir and mix well. Add the cornstarch.
Add the hot milk to the bowl along with the eggs, sugar, and cornstarch.
Pour back into the pot and stir
Until you get the consistency of the cream
Pour into a bowl to cool with sugar on the surface. This technique will prevent the skin from forming on the cream.
Now proceed with the choux pastry. In a pot, pour the water
and the milk (it serves to obtain a more colored zeppola during cooking, but if you are intolerant, you can safely replace it with an equal amount of water.
the salt
and the butter in pieces
Completely melt the butter
and add all the flour at once
Stir with a spatula or wooden spoon immediately until you get a smooth dough that clings to the side of the pot. Keep stirring for a few minutes
And pour into a stand mixer. Let the mixture cool. Do not add the eggs immediately, or they might cook.
At this point, add one egg at a time. Add the second only after the first has been well incorporated into the dough.
The dough is ready when lifting it with the spatula forms a triangle underneath.
At this point, prepare a piping bag with a star tip and insert the choux pastry
Form the zeppole on a baking tray covered with a perforated silicone mat for pastries in the oven. If you don’t have the mat, slightly butter the baking tray and place the zeppole. Do not use parchment paper. Bake at 356°F on the lower rack of a static oven for 30 minutes with the oven door slightly ajar, using a ball of foil. Let the zeppole cool in the oven. With a convection oven, the cooking is always at 356°F but with the oven closed for 30 minutes. But let it cool in the oven with the door ajar.
The zeppola should be dry and hollow inside.
As for the fried zeppole, form the zeppola on a square of parchment paper.
Flip the zeppola into peanut oil. Remove the parchment paper and
turn the zeppola. Fry until golden.
Remove it from the oil, immediately tossed in granulated sugar, and garnished with cream and sour cherry
Dust with powdered sugar
With a piping bag, garnish with cream. I only garnished it on top, but if you want, you can cut it in half and add more cream.
Finish with sour cherries. Our baked and fried zeppole are ready to be enjoyed.
If there are many of you and you enjoy them right away, I advise you to garnish and eat them immediately. If there aren’t many of you, only garnish those you consume at the moment and put the others in an airtight container for up to 3 days, and garnish them when needed.
