Zepolle aka Italian Doughnuts

[chilerelleno]

Zepolle
Italian fried pastry (doughnut) traditionally served on St. Joseph's Day

Preheat deep fryer to 375°
I made batch using a new recipe.
I mixed the batter lightly, used it immediately, cooked to a nice deep brown and served warm.
Much lighter and airy, not doughy at all, a crispier outside and a pleasanter level of sweetness overall.

2C flour
5t baking powder
1/2C sugar
2C Ricotta
2t vanilla
4 beaten eggs
1/2t salt
Powdered sugar for dusting

Combine everything but powdered sugar and mix
Fry 1 heaping T at a time till nicely browned, drain well then dust with powdered sugar
Serve warm

 

[chef jimmyj]

Looks great. Growing up in NJ there is not a church feast of a saint, carnival, fair, parade or fundraiser that didn't have a zepolle vendor. They were crisp outside, with light but chewy interior. Similar to a quality yeast raised donut but heavier. I have looked at and tried many recipes that the dough is made like Pate' Choux, cooked flour,water an butter, with eggs mixed in. But the flavor and texture is all wrong. I have come close with a sweet yeast dough but not there yet.
Your recipe has Baking Soda in it but no acid to active it. Is the Ricotta acidic enough to work?How dense are these? Or, should it be Baking Powder, that activates when moistened and with heat...JJ

 

[chilerelleno]

Looks great. Growing up in NJ there is not a church feast of a saint, carnival, fair, parade or fundraiser that didn't have a zepolle vendor. They were crisp outside, with light but chewy interior. Similar to a quality yeast raised donut but heavier. I have looked at and tried many recipes that the dough is made like Pate' Choux, cooked flour,water an butter, with eggs mixed in. But the flavor and texture is all wrong. I have come close with a sweet yeast dough but not there yet.
Your recipe has Baking Soda in it but no acid to active it. Is the Ricotta acidic enough to work?How dense are these? Or, should it be Baking Powder, that activates when moistened and with heat...JJ

Hi JJ,
one of my kids described the smaller ones as eating clouds, another one said the larger were doughy.
No one turned them down, especially with ice cream.
The larger ones were like a cake donut in texture but slightly different, 'crisp outside, with light but chewy interior' works descriptively for me.
As to the baking powder, the eggs are the reactive ingredient.

I may have over mixed these a tad, and I let the batter sit for a bit, both bad habits for this type of confection.
I also had problems getting them to drop as balls into the fryer, so there was a tad of uneven cooking.

I've nothing to compare to as this I the first time I've ever had'em.
Make a half batch and try'em out.

Thanks for checking them out and for the comments/questions.

 

[chilerelleno]

Here ya go JJ,
these have sat in a Tupperware container for eight hours, gotten really moist and absorbed all the powdered sugar.
Cut one open and it is indeed a tad doughy in the very center, more so it seems than after initial cooking/serving.
I don't know if it's from the Ricotta, not cooking long enough or absorbing the sugar and other moisture.

 

[chilerelleno]

chef jimmyj
I made batch using a new recipe.
I mixed the batter lightly, used it immediately, cooked to a nice deep brown and served warm.
Much lighter and airy, not doughy at all, a crispier outside and a pleasanter level of sweetness overall.

1C flour
2-1/2t baking powder
1/4C sugar
1C Ricotta
1t vanilla
2 beaten eggs

 

[chef jimmyj]

chef jimmyj
I made batch using a new recipe.
I mixed the batter lightly, used it immediately, cooked to a nice deep brown and served warm.
Much lighter and airy, not doughy at all, a crispier outside and a pleasanter level of sweetness overall.

1C flour
2-1/2t baking powder
1/4C sugar
1C Ricotta
1t vanilla
2 beaten eggs

The Baking Powder, is a more consistent levening agent than Baking Soda. Plus it is more forgiving of how fast you cook being double acting. Any chemically levened dough or batter requires mlnimal mixing for the best result. Gluten is not desired for max tenderness and a light airy product.Thanks for posting and follow up...JJ

 

[SmokinAl]

Man those look good John!
I'm not a big dessert guy, but I'd be all over those!
Al

 

[GaryHibbert]

Now I gotta get a deep frier?? Thanks a lot my friend.
I've never eaten these but they sure sound (and look) good.
Between you and JJ I just might have learned enough about them to give it a whirl.
POINT
Gary

 

[noboundaries]

Man, I haven't had those since I was a kid. Mom used to make them for special occasions. We've got a daughter's baby shower coming up. Those might be on the menu.

 

[chilerelleno]

The Baking Powder, is a more consistent levening agent than Baking Soda. Plus it is more forgiving of how fast you cook being double acting. Any chemically levened dough or batter requires mlnimal mixing for the best result. Gluten is not desired for max tenderness and a light airy product.Thanks for posting and follow up...JJ

My pleasure JJ, always trying to up my game.
I knew I'd made some mistakes with these, so had to try again.
This recipe sounded better for the type of pastry, more sugar, vanilla and of course the change to B. Powder from B. Soda. It did not disappoint, I'll use this one again.
Thank you for taking the time to talk shop.

 

[chilerelleno]

Man those look good John!
I'm not a big dessert guy, but I'd be all over those!
Al

Now I gotta get a deep frier?? Thanks a lot my friend.
I've never eaten these but they sure sound (and look) good.
Between you and JJ I just might have learned enough about them to give it a whirl.
POINT
Gary

Al, Gary, thanks guys.
They were pretty tasty with just the confectioners sugar.
There are some versions of these with ricotta cremes, chocolate and fruit on top or done like creme puffs, those sound really great to me. I can just imagine those with an espresso or Limoncello sparkling cocktail.

Man, I haven't had those since I was a kid. Mom used to make them for special occasions. We've got a daughter's baby shower coming up. Those might be on the menu.

Thanks Ray.
Don't ya just love those types of memories.
A huge mound of these done as ricotta creme filled Puffs would please the ladies I'm sure.