Soft Baked Donuts!
If you live in Abruzzo you know well: when we talk about zeppole, very often we are not referring to the cream-filled ones, but to these wonderful leavened donuts, usually fried and tossed in sugar.
Today I want to offer a lighter yet equally irresistible version: soft baked donuts, the “light” variant that won’t make you miss the original.
These donuts are perfect for anyone seeking a indulgent breakfast without the fuss of frying.
The texture is incredibly airy (just look at the photo to see the crumb!) and the aroma they release while baking is typical of village festivals.
In Abruzzo (in some areas) we call them zeppole, but wherever you choose to eat them, their name will always be “delicious.”
The advantage of this baked version, besides being lighter, is its convenience: you can prepare them calmly, let them rise and bake them all together.
Once baked, let them cool slightly and a generous dusting of powdered sugar will make them spectacular.
They are excellent warm, but keep very well for the next day, remaining soft and fragrant.
If you want an even more indulgent touch, cut them in half and fill them with your favorite jam or spreadable cream.
Try this traditional recipe revisited and let me know if at your house you also call them zeppole or simply… the best donuts in the world!
Approx. 232 kcal per donut
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Budget
- Rest time: 3 Hours
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Cooking time: 12 Minutes
- Portions: 12 Pieces
- Cooking methods: Electric oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Winter, Spring, Father's Day
Ingredients to make Soft Baked Donuts
- 2 Eggs
- 5 tbsp Sugar
- 1/3 cup Water
- 0.28 oz Fresh baker's yeast
- 3 tbsp Vegetable margarine
- Vanillin (or liquid vanilla)
- Grated zest of 1 lemon
- 1 cup Potatoes (peeled raw weight about 230 g (about 8 oz), cooked and mashed)
- 4 1/4 cups 00 flour (or all-purpose flour) (about 520 g)
- 1 Egg yolk
- 4 tbsp Water
- 2 1/2 tbsp Powdered sugar
Tools
- Baking pans
Preparation of Soft Baked Donuts
First of all peel the potatoes, wash them and cut into pieces, boil until soft, then drain and mash them.
For the dough you can use a stand mixer or mix by hand with a whisk.
Dissolve the fresh yeast in the water, then add the sugar, vanillin, grated lemon zest, softened margarine and the eggs.
Mix everything well, then when the potatoes are at least warm add them to the dough and gradually add the flour until you obtain a well-worked, not sticky dough.
Work in the bowl as much as possible, then move the dough to a work surface and complete kneading.
Put the dough to rise in a large bowl and let rest for about 2 hours or until doubled in size.
Once risen, transfer the dough to a floured work surface and shape into a ball…..
……divide into 12 balls of about 3.25 oz (approximately 92-95 g) each, then poke a hole in the center and stretch with your hands to shape a donut.
Prepare a baking sheet and line with parchment paper, place the donuts on it and let them rise in the turned-off oven with the light on for about 1 hour.
When the donuts have puffed up, dilute an egg yolk with 4 tablespoons of water, brush the donuts and bake in a preheated oven at 338 °F for about 12 minutes, checking for doneness.
Once out of the oven, let cool slightly and dust with powdered sugar.
