Baked Saint Joseph’s Zeppole that Don’t Deflate, Father’s Day is approaching and making zeppole at home is a lovely tradition — they can be fried or baked (lighter). The base is choux pastry, which must be firm and substantial to keep the doughnut shape. After many experiments, I understood where I was going wrong.
One of the mistakes I’ve often made when baking the choux is not cooking it long enough, not giving it enough time to eliminate all the moisture.
For tall, airy zeppole, we must choose an excellent flour. A W 260 flour with a protein content of 12.5%. You get zeppole with a well-aerated internal structure and a thin, crispy crust. Another error is the eggs: the amount of egg is fundamental for good results.
The amount of egg depends on the moisture of the choux; if the cooking is perfect, then we’ll need the 4 eggs mentioned in the recipe, but the truth is we should add eggs one at a time and check the right consistency.
The final secret is the baking: for well-cooked zeppole the oven must be very hot. Put them in only when the oven has reached the temperature (at least 392°F) to give the initial lift necessary for rising. Do not open the door during the first 25 minutes of baking; the drop in temperature would immediately collapse the structure. At the end of baking, turn off the oven and leave the zeppole inside.
Keep the door slightly ajar for about 10 minutes. This allows residual moisture to escape and the zeppole to dry and stabilize completely.
With this recipe we can make zeppole both sweet and savory.
But now let’s go to the kitchen and I’ll show you how to make Baked Saint Joseph’s Zeppole that Don’t Deflate.
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Inexpensive
- Preparation time: 45 Minutes
- Cooking time: 25 Minutes
- Portions: 6
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: St. Joseph's Day, All seasons
Ingredients
LET’S SEE WHAT WE NEED TO PREPARE
- 150 g farina (W 260 contenuto proteico del 12,5%)
- 300 ml acqua
- 100 g burro
- 1 pizzico sale
Tools
- 1 Pan
- 1 Piping bag
- 1 Star tip
Steps
Let’s start preparing the
Let’s begin preparing the choux pastry: pour the water into a small saucepan, add the butter and bring to a boil. As soon as the butter is completely melted, remove from the heat and add the flour all at once, stirring with a wooden spoon.
Return the pan to low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture looks glossy and begins to pull away from the sides, forming a white film on the bottom. Remove from the heat and continue stirring to lower the temperature.
When the mixture is warm, add the first egg and work vigorously with a spatula until fully incorporated. Continue this way, adding eggs one at a time and mixing until the dough absorbs each egg.
Place the dough into the piping bag and pipe Saint Joseph’s-style cream puffs onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Preheat the oven to 392°F and bake the puffs in the middle of the oven.
Let them bake for 25 minutes without ever opening the oven.
After 25 minutes, lower the temperature to 356°F and leave them for another 5 minutes.
Once baked, keep the door slightly ajar for about 10 minutes. This allows residual moisture to escape and the zeppole to dry and stabilize completely.Here are our zeppole — ready!
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