Zeppole

There’s nothing better than Italian donuts (Zeppole) with powdered sugar. Every single country around the world has its own version of fried dough, and our home country of Bulgaria is no exception. In Bulgaria, we call these “Mekitzi” or “Ponichki” which are similar in taste. This lazy version is much easier to make and hits the spot.

Italians have several different names for this fried dough, such as pizza fritte, fried doughnuts, zeppole, or sfinci. Fried pizza dough is made in a variety of ways, depending on where you live. These fluffy bites of heaven will have you and your guests begging for more!

What stands out

You’ll love these donuts for how straightforward they are to make and how they taste. The texture of these fried doughnuts, that’s both crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, will blow your mind. The fun part of this recipe is how creative you can get, from added glazes and flavors to fruit-filled surprises.

The quick frying process for these donuts makes sure that you will achieve golden perfection. Whether you’re a fan of the traditional powdered sugar on these doughnuts or you want to try some fun glazes, these doughnuts are such a great treat for a Saturday morning or to have a special homemade breakfast for guests.

How to Prepare

Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces.

Shape each piece into a thin, flat disc, using your hands, a pastry cutter, or a knife. Dust the discs with flour if they stick to your hands.

Heat oil in a pan with high sides until it shimmers; test readiness by placing a wooden spoon tip, and if it bubbles, it’s ready.

Avoid overcrowding the pan; cook 3 or 4 doughnuts at a time.

Reduce heat to medium as soon as doughnuts are placed in the pan. Fry for 2 minutes on each side or until golden.

Place fried donuts on a paper towel then dust with icing sugar and enjoy.

Kitchen tip

We just wait for the oil to shimmer to know that it’s ready. Feel free to use a thermometer if you need to; the oil needs to be at 375F.

Swaps

These tasty fried donuts are yummy just as we made them, or you can make them your own by adding a filling, using a frosting, or any other variation you like! As always, don’t forget to tell us in the comments what you try!

1. After frying you could fill the center of the doughnut with fruit preserves or jam such as our healthiest jam.
2. Feel free to experiment with different glazes such as chocolate, maple, or fruit-flavored glazes instead of just using powdered sugar.
3. If you have allergy or dietary concerns, you could whole wheat or a gluten-free flour dough to accommodate.
4. The frying oil is up to you! You can use oils such as coconut, vegetable, canola, peanut or even sunflower.
5. Instead of icing sugar top the doughnuts with cinnamon sugar, sprinkles, or chopped nuts.

Serve it with

Served these Italian donuts by themselves, with some coffee, or tea.

Questions

What is the best way to cut out the dough into discs?

You can use a large round cookie cutter to cut out the dough or you can rip the dough with your hands, roll it into a ball, and shape/stretch the dough into thin round disks.

What type of oil should i use to fry the donuts?

Feel free to use any high smoke point oil, we used sunflower because avocado oil is expensive. We filled our skillet with oil to the halfway mark. We didn’t measure, but we used about 4-6 cups of oil.

How do we know if the oil is heated enough?

Heat the oil to 375F, but we just wait for it to shimmer. Feel free to use a thermometer if you need to.

How long do the fried donuts stay fresh?

We recommend enjoying these fresh, but you can store them in an airtight container for a day or two. Reheat briefly in the oven, microwave, or air fryer to restore their crispiness.

Ingredients

Makes 12 servings

• 700 grams pizza dough, I like getting it from an Italian bakery
• dusting of flour, if the dough sticks
• oil for frying, sunflower, avocado, or any you like
• powdered sugar

Equipment

• Rolling Pin
• Pizza Cutter
• Frying Pan

Method

1. Take the dough and divide it into 12 equal pieces. We rip equal size pieces with our hand, but you can use a pastry cutter or a knife to be precise.
2. Roll the dough into dough ball with your hands, and shape/stretch it out so that it looks like a flat disc. The disc should be thin. Dust each one with flour if it sticks to your hands.
3. In a pan with high sides, heat up the oil and make sure it “shimmers." You can test the oil by placing in the tip of a wooden spoon, and if it bubbles, it's ready.
4. Don't overcrowd the pan, cook 3 or 4 doughnuts at a time. As soon as we place them in, we reduce the heat to medium and fry for 2 minutes on each side or until golden.
5. Set on paper towel, dust with icing sugar and enjoy.