Saint Joseph’s cream puffs, a typical Roman recipe, light and fluffy with a little trick they won’t seem fried, are prepared on Father’s Day and can be found in every pastry shop, bar, or bakery in Rome, and their aroma captivates even the least sweet-toothed, just like the frappe and the castagnole.

This is the famous dough made with choux pastry, which is used both for making cream puffs and for making zeppole. Like all traditional recipes, there are different variations, especially in the filling, with many creams being used like cream puffs with eggless chocolate cream, or cream puffs with white chocolate cream, but the famous Roman Saint Joseph’s cream puffs are traditionally filled with custard and then either fried or baked.

On March 19th, the saint of Rome, Saint Joseph, considered the father of Jesus, is celebrated. The Romans call the saint the “fritter maker,” and from there comes the tradition of eating fried cream puffs for Saint Joseph.

However, you can enjoy the fried cream puff without getting your hands oily thanks to the little trick used before frying, you just need to bake them for 10 minutes and then pass them in the oil. I tried this trick also for making apple and ricotta fritters and I must say it’s fantastic.

Now all that’s left is to try these delicious pastries and celebrate Father’s Day. But let’s see together what we need to make the Saint Joseph’s Cream Puffs typical Roman recipe light and fluffy with a little trick they won’t seem fried.

HERE YOU WILL FIND SOME RECIPES TO MAKE CREAM PUFFS OR DELICIOUS FRITTERS

Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Economical
Preparation time: 20 Minutes
Portions: 20Pieces
Cooking methods: Frying, Baking
Cuisine: Italian
Seasonality: Father's Day

Ingredients

Saint Joseph’s cream puffs typical Roman recipe light and fluffy with a little trick they won’t seem fried, are prepared on Father’s Day

5 eggs
1.76 oz butter
1.06 cup water
2 cups all-purpose flour
sunflower oil (for frying)
powdered sugar (for dusting)
2 egg yolks
0.45 cup sugar
0.5 cup all-purpose flour
vanilla flavoring
2 cups milk

Tools

HERE’S WHAT WE NEED

1 Piping bag

Steps

LET’S PREPARE THE CREAM PUFFS

Pour the water into a saucepan and add the butter, melting it over the heat. When fully melted and bubbles start to form, remove the pan from the heat and add the flour all at once, stirring until a ball forms that detaches from the sides of the pan. Return to the heat for another 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour the dough into a bowl and start cooling it with the help of a spatula or fork until it is slightly warm and you can work it with your hands. Only then, begin adding one egg at a time, making sure each egg is absorbed before adding the next
Once you have added all the eggs, the dough will be very creamy but dense. Place it in a piping bag and start making small piles on a baking tray covered with parchment paper, using the large star tip. Start from the base and then finish by closing the circle. Don’t use too much dough, or the cream puffs will clump together. Decide the size, I made medium-sized puffs. Bake in a hot oven at 392°F (200°C) for 10 minutes to form the crust. Then, remove them from the oven and toss them into the heated oil. Remember that the oil temperature should be between 320°F and 338°F (160/170°C). Drain them on absorbent paper, fill them with cream, and finally sprinkle with powdered sugar
Put all ingredients in the bowl, 7 minutes, 194°F, speed 4
CUSTARD WITHOUT THERMOMIX follow this recipe