Zeppole are deep fried balls of dough (think fried bread) made with flour, water, yeast, and salt. This recipe is a sweet version that's filled with raisins and rolled in sugar (like a little donut), but savory zeppole versions are also very popular. They're a staple in Italian homes at Christmastime.
So how did this zeppole recipe come about? Well, my cousin Lili one day on IG shared a zeppole video (not this recipe) and said that she remembered our nonna Giovannina (from Pofi) making them, and if anyone had a recipe, that she would love to make them. Note that these zeppole are not to be confused with the custard-topped zeppole di San Giuseppe.
I did not have a recipe, but I replied to her and said that we could try making them in my Italian kitchen. How hard could it be?! Well, turns out harder than we thought LOL.
But after trying to follow Zia Angelina's (nonna Giovannina's daughter, my dad's sister) very vague "recipe" from Italy, Zia Adele exclaiming profanities when she saw our first attempt at the dough, a few more tries, we got the final recipe.
And it turns out that my zia Leonina in Sperlonga (on my mom's side of the family) also makes these at Christmas. I have memories of these zeppole from the few Christmases that I've spent in Italy. She only makes savory ones though - plain, wth baccalà, and with cauliflower. Seems like they're a staple in central Italy for the holidays.
If you're diving deeper into Italian Christmas dessert recipes, definitely give my struffoli recipe or panettone tiramisu recipe a try.
Texture and variations
Zeppole are like a small Italian yeast doughnut. They are essentially fried bread dough.
In the recipe provided, I make sweet zeppole with raisins, which are then rolled in sugar. But zeppole can be made savory as well (remember, there is no sugar in the dough), so they are easily customizable.
Here are some savory variations that my family makes as well:
- With baccalà
- With cauliflower
- With anchovies
- Just plain (straight fried dough)
Sweet variations:
- With cranberries, rolled in cinnamon sugar
- Injected with nutella or pistachio cream
How to make them
Recipe
4-Ingredient Italian Zeppole with Yeast
Ingredients
- 500 grams 00 flour
- 4 cups water divided
- 3 tsp (10g) traditional active dry yeast
- pinch of salt
- Canola oil, for frying
- 1 ¼ cups raisins
- ½ cup granulated sugar
Instructions
Make the dough
- Fill a measuring cup with one cup of lukewarm water. Add the yeast to the water and stir. Set the water/yeast mixture aside for about 10 minutes, until the yeast blooms (yeast rises to the top and water looks foamy)
- Add the raisins to a small bowl and soak them in warm water so they re-hydrate.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the hook attachment, add the flour. Add the water and yeast mixture, along with an additional 3 cups of water.
- Mix well on medium speed until all ingredients are incorporated (approximately 3-4 minutes). Dough should be quite wet in consistency.
- Remove the raisins from the bowl, dry them off, and add to the dough. Mix once more until raisins are well incorporated.
- Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and let it rest in the oven with the oven light on for 2 hours. This will create a warm environment for the dough to rise. Dough should be doubled in size.
Fry the zeppole
- In a large pan, heat up the canola oil over medium heat.
- Dip two spoons in the hot oil. This will help the dough to not stick to the spoons when frying.
- Use the two spoons to grab a piece of dough. The piece of dough should be about 1-2 tablespoon in size (it will expand when fried)
- Use one spoon to push the dough into the oil. Add more dough until there are multiple zeppole in the pan.
- Fry the zeppole until they are golden in color, turning halfway through, about 3-minutes.
- Remove the zeppole and place on a paper-towel lined baking sheet.
- Repeat the frying process until all the zeppole are fried.
- Place the granulated sugar in a dish. Roll the zeppole in the sugar.
Leave a Reply