Tumminia Flour Sourdough Zeppole

I never dared mess with my Nonna’s zeppole (sfingi) recipe but after a few weeks of shelter in place all rules are out the window. If she were here to taste the result I think she’d approve. The addition of the sourdough yeast and the Sicilian tumminia flour give the sfingi a much more distinct flavor and spongy texture which I quite like. The shell also ends up being much crispier so there is an audible crunch upon taking your first bite. They behave a little differently in the hot oil and require some manual nudging of the dough as they cook - where as in the original recipe they did all the work themselves (flipping and turning over all on their own). I also added some vanilla while I was at it. And since I already committed my crime against tradition I made a simple chocolate sauce instead of the confectioner’s sugar. These were incredible and I look forward to making them again and again. 

The process is a bit more complicated and time consuming but it’s still a relatively approachable recipe.

Ingredients

80 g tumminia flour (or regular whole wheat flour)

70 g 00 Flour 

50 g active starter

4 eggs

6 tbsp butter

Pinch of salt

½ tsp vanilla

1 cup of water

Zest or orange (optional)

For the sauce

½ cup of semi-sweet chocolate chunks

1 tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp butter

Instructions

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 the starter yeast and mix together well. Cover and set in the refrigerator overnight. 

3. In the morning, take out the dough and allow to get back to room temperature so the dough begins to soften again. 

4. Add eggs one at a time, mixing very well until there are no clumps of flour. Add in lemon or orange zest. Add the vanilla. The consistency should be smooth, thicker than pancake batter, but thinner than a bread dough. Let rest for a few more minutes. 

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

6. Using a spoon, drop globs of batter into the hot oil. This recipe will require a little extra attention than the traditional non-sourdough recipe. You’ll need to manually flip them once they are fully cooked on one side. Once fully browned and crispy, 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. 

7. In a small saucepan, melt together the chocolate, butter, and sugar and simmer for a few minutes - stirring well. 

5. Once the zeppole have cooled a bit, drizzle the chocolate sauce all over the top of the zeppole and enjoy.