Email to Cat      

Zeppoles

Source of Recipe

From "One-Hour Comfort" by America's Test Kitchen


Recipe Introduction

"Roam around any Italian American summertime festa and you'll pass multiple booths selling piping-hot fried zeppoles. They're soft and tender, like a cross between fried dough and doughnuts: golden brown and crispy outside, light and airy inside, and dusted with confectioners' sugar. Their charm and universal appeal lies in their simple satisfaction. To make great zeppoles, two leaveners are better than one. Although baking powder and yeast are typically used independently of one another, here they work in tandem to create the perfect fluffy confection. The baking powder ensures a light interior, and the yeast provides the requisite flavor and more lift. Frying the wet, sticky dough at 350 degrees yields a crispy exterior that won't overcook by the time the interior finishes. If you own a 4-cup liquid measuring cup, you can combine the dough in it to make it easier to tell when it has doubled in volume in step 1. For an extra-decadent treat, dip these into Bittersweet Chocolate Sauce."

List of Ingredients

◦ 1 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
◦ 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
◦ 2 teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast
◦ 1 teaspoon baking powder
◦ � teaspoon table salt
◦ 1 cup warm water (110 degrees)
◦ � teaspoon vanilla extract
◦ 2 quarts peanut or vegetable oil
◦ Confectioners' sugar


Recipe

Combine flour, granulated sugar, yeast, baking powder, and salt in large bowl. Whisk water and vanilla into flour mixture until fully combined. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, 15 to 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, set wire rack in rimmed baking sheet and line rack with triple layer of paper towels. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Add oil to large Dutch oven until it measures about 1 � inches deep and heat over medium-high heat to 350 degrees.

Using greased tablespoon measure, add 6 heaping tablespoonfuls of batter to oil. (Use dinner spoon to help scrape batter from tablespoon if necessary.) Fry until golden brown and toothpick inserted in center of zeppole comes out clean, 2 to 3 minutes, flipping once halfway through frying. Adjust burner, if necessary, to maintain oil temperature between 325 and 350 degrees.

Using spider skimmer or slotted spoon, transfer zeppoles to prepared wire rack; roll briefly so paper towels absorb grease. Transfer sheet to oven to keep warm. Return oil to 350 degrees and repeat twice more with remaining batter. Dust zeppoles with confectioners' sugar and serve.

Makes 15 to 18 zeppoles







❧ Bittersweet Chocolate Sauce:

"Dress up your Zeppoles with a hit of warm chocolate. You can refrigerate this sauce for up to 3 weeks and serve it either warm or at room temperature. Whisk the sauce gently in step 2 so as not to create air bubbles, which will mar its appearance."

◦ � cup heavy cream, plus extra as needed
◦ 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
◦ 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
◦ Pinch table salt
◦ 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine

Bring cream, corn syrup, butter, and salt to boil in small saucepan over medium-high heat. Off heat, stir in chocolate, cover, and let stand until chocolate is melted, about 5 minutes.

Uncover and whisk gently until smooth. Adjust consistency by heating and stirring in additional cream as needed, 1 tablespoon at a time.

Makes 1 cup