Fried and Baked St. Joseph’s Zeppole and air fryer.
We are approaching Father’s Day, which precedes Easter. During this period, all pastry shop windows are filled with delicacies that will accompany us throughout the spring.
There’s also a revival of delicious treats in pastry shops: the Cannoli, the ‘sospiri’ of Monaca, the Lulù, and who could forget the small pastries or tarts topped with seasonal fruit.
But let’s return to our Zeppole, there are those who prefer them fried, as the originals were, but recently the baked zeppola is becoming popular.
Today I will offer them in both cooking methods.
Dedicated to all dads.
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- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 15 Minutes
- Preparation time: 1 Hour
- Portions: 12 zeppole
- Cooking methods: Oven, Frying, Air Frying
- Cuisine: Regional Italian
- Region: Campania
- Seasonality: All seasons, St. Joseph's Day
- Energy 488.82 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 40.14 (g) of which sugars 18.96 (g)
- Proteins 9.24 (g)
- Fat 33.58 (g) of which saturated 9.66 (g)of which unsaturated 20.12 (g)
- Fibers 0.69 (g)
- Sodium 115.98 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 158 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
Let’s go grocery shopping
- 8 eggs
- 1/2 cup butter
- 2 cups water
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp fine salt
- 4 egg yolks
- 1/2 cup cornstarch (maizena)
- 1 pod vanilla
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 3/4 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream, 35% fat content (or alternatively another 1/2 cup of milk)
- 8 1/2 cups sunflower seed oil
- 12 candied cherries
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
Fried and Baked St. Joseph’s Zeppole
Tools
For all preparations.
- 2 Pots
- 1 Piping bag with large star tip
- Parchment paper
- Pan
- Skimmer
- Paper towel
- 2 Baking trays (large)
- Oven
- 1 Air fryer
Preparation: Fried and Baked St. Joseph’s Zeppole
Pastry Cream
Prepare the cream first, as it must be very cold when filling
In a pot, heat the milk and cream together, it’s tastier this way, but if you want it lighter, you can use only milk.
Turn off the heat when it starts to boil. Remove the vanilla pod and..
In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks and add the granulated sugar, then stir to combine the ingredients, then add the cornstarch and mix well.
In the bowl with the eggs, add a little milk and stir.
As soon as the mixture appears smooth and homogeneous, add the rest of the milk while continuing to stir with a whisk.
Put it back on the heat and let it thicken while continuously stirring with the whisk.
Then turn off the heat, transfer the cream to a bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, let it cool, first outside the fridge, then, once it has cooled slightly, in the fridge.
While the cream is cooling, proceed with the choux pastry.
Pour the water into a fairly large pot, add the butter cut into pieces, and a pinch of salt.
Turn on a low heat and stir with a wooden spoon until the butter is completely melted.
As soon as the mixture resumes boiling, add the flour in a steady stream, very slowly, continuing to stir more and more vigorously,
until the mixture detaches from the sides of the pot.
At this point, turn off the heat.
When the mixture is cold, add the eggs one at a time to the pot with the batter, always stirring with a wooden spoon.
Until the mixture is quite smooth and creamy.
Place the obtained mixture in a piping bag with a star tip about 15/20 mm wide.
Now you have to decide whether to make the zeppole baked or fried.
Start heating the oil in a saucepan or pan with high edges.
Meanwhile, while the oil reaches temperature, prepare a sheet of parchment paper on which you will create the zeppole, well spaced from each other, and form 12 zeppole.
With the piping bag, draw a double-circle ring of dough, one circle on top of the other.
The doughnut you are going to create should be about 2.5 inches in diameter.
After creating the zeppole, cut out squares of parchment paper around them,
Then take 1 or at most 2 zeppole and dip them in the hot oil.
After a few moments, the paper will detach by itself, and you must remove it from the oil and gently flip the zeppole.
Once ready and well browned, drain them with a skimmer.
Place them on a tray lined with paper towels, and continue with the others.
Turn on the oven to 356°F convection or static 356°F with the door slightly open using a cloth or a ball of aluminum foil.
Spread parchment paper on a baking tray and with the piping bag, draw a double-circle ring of dough, one circle on top of the other.
The doughnut you are going to create should be about 2.5 inches in diameter.
Bake the zeppole for about 20-25 minutes.
Once golden, remove them immediately from the oven and let them cool.
FOR AIR FRYER ZEPPOLE
Place the basket in the air fryer and cook in two stages: first at 356°F for 10 minutes, then at 392°F for another 10 minutes
When you’re finished cooking them all, dust the zeppole with powdered sugar,
Then add a dollop of pastry cream inside, decorate with candied cherries, and dust again to your liking with powdered sugar.
Here are your Fried and Baked St. Joseph’s Zeppole or air fryer.
storage and tips
Fried and Baked St. Joseph’s Zeppole. It is best to consume them freshly made or within a few hours. You can store them in the fridge for 1 day, but freezing is not recommended.
Fried and Baked St. Joseph’s Zeppole
Can I make them with chocolate?
Yes, here is the chocolate pastry cream, click here.
