Easy Zeppole – Italian Fried Dough

Easy Zeppole – Italian Fried Dough

Photo by Eat with Dan

Photo by Eat with Dan

Who doesn’t love going to the fair and getting a hot paper bag full of Zeppole covered in confectioners’ sugar? Nobody – that’s who!

I’ve used a ‘standard’ recipe for fried dough that involved yeast and just the right warm water temperature but really, who needs to go through all that? This is one easy recipe that everyone can make. While the oil and frying can be scary, as long as you have a heavy pot deep enough, you’ll have no issues.

Ingredients:

  • ½ cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 2 quarts canola oil for frying
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 pinch Kosher salt
  • 1 ½ tsp. granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
  • ¼ tsp. pure vanilla extract
Photo by Eat with Dan

Photo by Eat with Dan

Directions:

  1. Add the confectioners’ sugar to a paper bag.
  2. Heat the oil in a heavy and deep pot until a candy / deep-fry thermometer reaches 375 degrees. The oil shouldn’t come up more than a third to a half of the depth of the pot at the risk of overflowing.
  3. In a medium saucepan, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Stir in the beaten eggs, ricotta cheese and vanilla. Mix gently over low heat until combined, 1-2 minutes. Batter will be sticky.
  4. Drop the batter by tablespoons into the hot oil a few at a time to ensure your oil doesn’t cool off (raise the heat under the pot if temperature cools too much). Fry the Zeppole until golden brown, about 3 or 4 minutes. Add hot Zeppole to the paper bag and shake to cover in confectioners’ sugar. Serve warm.

Makes 3 dozen Zeppole.

Adapted from AllRecipe.