Homemade Zeppole (Sfingi)

Zeppole, also called sfingi in Sicily, are typically associated with celebration, whether on Christmas or St. Joseph’s Day. They’re also perfect for quarantine cooking. It is the Italians’ answer to the donut and some versions can be quite elaborate, filled with ricotta cream and topped with candied fruits. This version from my Nonna is super simple. They’re light, airy, and relatively quick and easy to make with only six common ingredients. If you don’t have 00 Flour, regular all purpose will do the trick. Watch the whole process in a fun kid hosted cooking below.

Ingredients

1 cup of 00 Flour

1 cup of water

4 eggs

6 tablespoons of butter

Lemon or orange zest

Confectioners sugar

Canola oil

1. Bring water to a boil. Add butter, and a little bit of salt. Stir in the flour and mix thoroughly, and quickly. Remove from heat and let cool at room temperature.

2. Add eggs one at a time, mixing with your hands. Add in lemon or orange zest. The consistency should be smooth, thicker than pancake batter, but thinner than a bread dough. Let rest for a few more minutes. 

3. Bring canola or peanut oil in a dutch oven or deep fryer to 350 F.

4. Using a spoon, drop globs of batter into the hot oil. The trick here is to let the zeppole alone, as they begin to form a golden brown crispy shell. As they cook, they will expand, burst open, and roll over all on their own without any additional help. Once fully browned, remove the zeppole with a slotted spoon and let rest in on a baking rack or in a bowl with paper towels to absorb the excess oil.

5. Once they have cooled a bit, liberally dust with confectioners sugar and enjoy. They should be light and airy.