Easy Italian Zeppole Doughnuts

Name: Zeppole (Italian Donuts)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: Vegetable oil for frying; 1/2 cup of water; 1/2 cup of whole milk; 8 tablespoons of melted unsalted butter; 1 cup of all-purpose flour; 4 large egg; 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar; 1/2 teaspoon of salt; 1/8 teaspoon of powdered sugar

If you love donuts, try this Italian Zeppole recipe. Your whole family will love these fried dough balls.

Italian Cuisine

March 30, 2022

Difficulty Easy

Servings 8 people

Preparation 10 mins

Cooking 20 mins

Total 30 mins

Recipe Contents

Ingredients Directions Nutrition Equipments Tips

Ingredients

1/2 cup of water
1/2 cup of whole milk
8 tablespoons of melted unsalted butter
1 cup of all-purpose flour
4 large egg
3 tablespoons of granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/8 teaspoon of powdered sugar
Vegetable oil for frying

Directions

In a medium saucepan, combine water, milk, butter, sugar, and salt. Boil this mixture over medium heat. Make sure to stir constantly to avoid any burning.
Take the pan off the stove and add all the flour. Blend quickly to ensure an even texture.
After adding the flour completely, put the pan on medium heat and stir continuously for a few minutes. This will release extra moisture and cook the flour a bit. The dough will become smoother and a thin film will likely form on the bottom of the pan.
Put the dough into a large mixing bowl. Then, using an electric mixer for convenience, beat the mixture on medium speed for one minute-this will allow it to cool a bit as you add cold air to the hot dough.
Then add each egg separately to the dough. The reason you add them one by one is to ensure they are fully mixed as you mix the mixture.
After adding all the eggs to the mixture, whisk all the ingredients for another minute. Ideally, the dough should form a thick strip when you pull the mixer out of the liquid.
Move the dough to a piping bag with a fairly wide opening - half an inch. Alternatively, you can use a plastic bag, and snip off the corner to create an opening.
Add the oil to a deep pan, dutch oven, or deep fryer. Then bring the oil to 375 ˚F, using a thermometer to check the temperature.
Once you’re sure the oil is hot, pipe 1-inch lengths of dough into the oil, making sure to cut the dough as you pipe it - you’re aiming for little dumplings, rather than long churros.
Slowly add the dough balls to the pan to prevent the hot oil from splashing out of the pan.
Fry the zeppole dough for 4-5 minutes in total. Turn the dough halfway through cooking. After the time has elapsed, transfer the treats to a paper towel-lined plate that will absorb excess oil. Let them drain a little, then transfer them to a clean plate or serving platter and sprinkle with powdered sugar to serve.
Serve hot with chocolate sauce.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 Zeppole (Italian Donuts)

Serves 8

Amount Per Serving

Calories274

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 21 g26.9%

Protein 5 g10%

Potassium 72 mg1.5%

Cholesterol 114 mg38%

Sodium 267 mg11.6%

*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Tips

Let the zeppole dough sit at room temperature before frying.
Preheat the oil while making the dough. It takes quite some time to heat up as much oil as you might need for this recipe.
Use a thermometer. When making Zeppole donuts in a skillet or deep fryer, check that the oil is at the proper temperature. In very cold oil, donuts will not bake; If it is in very hot oil, the dough will be raw on the inside and overcooked on the outside. Therefore, the ideal temperature is 375 °F.
When frying your dough balls, avoid cooking too many zeppole at once. Adding too many donuts to the pan at once will lower the temperature of the oil.
Add the eggs to the dough one by one. In this way, you can achieve a more homogeneous consistency.
You can use a stand mixer or hand blender.
Serve these italian donuts with whipped cream, pastry cream, chocolate ganache or caramel sauce.
Avoid storing fully cooked zeppole fried dough in the freezer. You can store uncooked dough balls in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Make sure to make the zeppole in a well-ventilated area, as the smell from hot oil can cling to clothes and soft furnishings in your home. Therefore, keeping a window open will allow you to alleviate as much of that problem as you can.

Rate This Recipe

"Zeppole" or "Italian Donuts" are deep-fried dough balls. Although the ingredients vary by region like most Italian dishes, it is usually served sprinkled with powdered sugar.

Similar to French Benye, this recipe is pretty easy to make. Try our delicious Zeppole Doughnuts recipe for a fluffy and crispy dough that melts in your mouth.

Equipment for this recipe

Measuring Cup

Mixing Bowls

Stand Mixer

Hand Blender

Wooden Spoon

What Are Zeppole?

Zeppole are Italian doughnuts. They are made from a simple, cream puff-style dough that is light and crunchy. Typically, these little dumplings are served in greaseproof paper bags at carnivals or festivals as delicious street food. It is the perfect dessert option for breakfast or any meal of the day.

What Are The Differences Between Zeppole and Beignets?

This is a tricky question to answer thanks to the fact that there are several types of beignets. What we think of as "beignets" are from New Orleans, and a yeasted dough is used to make them. French beignets, though, use a choux-style pastry dough.

Zeppole does not use a yeasted dough, and the dough itself is quite similar to choux pastry. Therefore, the only difference between zeppole and French beignets is the shape: zeppole are circular, while French beignets are square.

Because beignets in New Orleans use yeast, they differ from zeppole, which are always unyeasted.

What To Serve with Zeppole?

You can serve Italian Zeppole in many different ways. You can serve it with powdered sugar, powdered sugar or sauce.

Here are our delicious recipes that you can serve with Zeppole:

How To Store Zeppole?

The best way to store zeppole is to make the dough and keep it in the fridge for up to three days. Also, you could freeze the dough for up to three months.

Zeppole aren’t dense at all, which means that they can go stale in the presence of fresh air. To keep them, therefore, using an airtight container is the best option.

Note: Consuming raw or undercooked eggs carries a risk of foodborne illness.

Recipe byPetite Gourmets