Italian Pastry - Zeppole di San Giuseppe
Zeppole di San Giuseppe are one of the tastiest Italian sweets around! They’re typical of the month of March when the Italians celebrate Father's Day on the 19th.
Zeppole di San Giuseppe are a pastry consisting of a dough, much like the Choux pastry of an Éclair or a Bignè. They have both a baked version as well as a fried version and both have a pastry cream filling. This recipe’s photographs will be mostly for the baked version but I have included the information below on how to fry them. The ingredients and preparations are the same until the final baking or frying step.
The pastry cream takes a couple of hours to set up so start with that if you are short on time. Both the baked Zeppole and cream can be made ahead of time and then put together when you are ready to enjoy them :)
A bit about Zeppole -
In Italy Zeppole di San Giuseppe are a specialty attributed to the festival of St. Joseph or La Festa di San Giuseppe (The patron saint of Father’s) in Siciy. They are also associated with the same festivals in Rome and Naples. This custom was popularized in the early 19th century by a Neapolitan baker named Pasquale Pintauro. In northern Italy they call these wonderful pastries Sfinci di San Giuseppe or Fritelle di San Giuseppe
It is believed that Zeppole originate from ancient Rome and were part of celebrations for pagan deities. Many traditions also trace zeppole to Egypt and other northern African countries as well.
The origin of the word Zeppole, or Zippula in Sicilian, comes from the Arabic Zalābiyya meaning fried soft dough. The medieval Arab Zalābiyya, a kind of deep-fried doughnut sprinkled with sugar, exists today, both with that name and many others, including Sifanj. Sifanj, coming from the Arabic word for “sponge,” is a kind of very soft yeasted doughnut made in North Africa that is allowed to rise more than usual to make it airy, and is served with honey or sugar. This Sifanj exists in Sicily, too, where it is called Sfinci (or Sfìncia) a word also deriving from Arabic.
And now let’s get to the good stuff :)
Ingredients For Zeppole di San Giuseppe
For the Dough -
1 Cup of water
1/2 Cup (one stick) unsalted butter
1 Cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
4 Eggs (room temperature)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract (optional)
For the Pastry Cream -
2 1/2 Cups whole milk
1/3 Cup granulated sugar
5 Egg yolks
1/4 Cup all purpose flour
2 Tbsps. cornstarch
1 Small lemon peel
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Extras -
Powdered sugar for dusting
Amarena cherries or maraschino cherries for garnish
Oil if making the fried version
For the Pastry - Makes 12
In a large saucepan, add in the water and butter and bring to a boil over medium heat.
Add in the flour and salt, cook for 2 to 3 min stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Remove from heat and let sit for a couple of min.
Add in the eggs, one egg at a time, incorporating completely before adding another egg. Add in the vanilla extract with the last egg and mix until combined.
In a pastry bag fitting with a large star tip, add in the dough.
On a parchment lined baking sheet, starting in middle, pipe a good thick base of dough and then build up the sides, going around 1 more time.
If frying - see below or bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 35 to 40 min. The Zeppole will be a nice deep golden color. Let cool completely.
If not using right away - Store the shells in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days. Or freeze them in an airtight plastic freezer bag for up to six weeks. If freezing - refresh the shells in a 350 degree oven until dry, firm, and a bit crisp. 10 to 15 minutes for room temperature shells, 15 to 20 for frozen shells. Let cool before using.
For the Pastry Cream - Makes approx. 2 1/2 cups
In a saucepan over medium low, heat the milk and lemon peel until simmering.
While the milk is heating up whisk together the egg yolks and sugar and until pale.
Add in the flour and cornstarch and mix to incorporate.
When the milk has simmered, take it off the heat and discard the lemon peel.
Add in about 1/2 cup of the hot milk to the egg mixture, stirring immediately so that the eggs do not curdle.
Continue adding in the milk in a steady stream while whisking until completely incorporated.
Return the mixture to the sauce pan and heat over medium low, stirring constantly with a whisk until thickened, about 5 min.
Once thick, remove from heat and transfer to a heat proof bowl, stir in the vanilla extract.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, making sure to touch the top of the pastry cream so that a film cannot form. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
If not using right away - Store covered in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Assembling the Zeppole di San Giuseppe -
Add the cooled pastry cream to a pastry bag fitted with a star tip.
Slice each of the Zeppole in half and pipe a thin layer of the pastry cream, top with the other half.
Pipe a swirl of pastry cream on top of each Zeppole, sprinkle with powdered sugar, and garnish with an Amarena Cherry.
Fried Zeppole di San Giuseppe -
Make the pastry cream, the dough, and pipe out the Zeppole like above. Take a knife or scissors and cut the parchment paper into squares around each Zeppole. Add the Zeppole on the parchment paper into the hot frying oil. Depending on the size of your pan, add in just 1 or 2 Zeppole at a time, making sure to not crowd the pan. After a few seconds the Zeppole will detach from the parchment paper and it can be removed with tongs. Fry the Zeppole until deep golden, turning once, for 5 - 6 min total time. Drain on a paper towel. You can assemble the fried Zeppole like above or simply top with the pastry cream and garnishes.