Zeppole de Birra
My love for doughnuts goes beyond an obsession—it goes global. These Italian-style fried treats are great for breakfast or at the end of an epic feast. This Zeppole de Birra recipe can be crafted two different ways. I like the make the dough | batter a day in advance, then place it into the refrigerator to slow or retard the fermentation. With a slower fermentation comes more yeast flavor. Unless the beer is pasteurized, there is some yeast in the beer, that will start eating the starches and sugars in the flours. The dried yeast will also be slowed in this lower temperature environment. If time is an issue, the dough | batter can be made in as little as 45 minutes. They results are different, as is the final flavor. The beer choice will also change the final flavor. A Hefeweizen will add a wonderful banana, clove and light wheat-ness to the finished Zeppole. While a Munich Dunkel Lager will leave a wonderful malty sweetness, that will enhance the barley flour as will the lager yeast, aiding in fermentation.
A key ingredient in this version of Zeppole de Birra is using diastatic malt powder. It contains the active enzyme: amylase This enzyme aides in converting starches into sugars. the sugars are easier for the yeast to digest. This results in a more ferment-able dough, a better rise, and when cooked, better browning. All this adds to a better and a more tender finished Beer Donut | Doughnut.
The choice is yours whether to coat them in Malted Powdered Sugar, fill them with Pastry Cream (one made with a Coffee Imperial Stout aged in Whiskey barrels) (or go fruity with a Kriek Custard Filling) . You can also drizzle the warm fried nuggets of tastiness with a Wort Honey, Whiskey infused Honey, or just have them plain.
Makes: 18 – 20 donuts | doughnuts
Adapted from BeerAdvocate Magazine: Cuisine à la Bière | May 2017 | Issue #124
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 20 each | 10 minute |
| Cook Time | Passive Time |
| 3 minute | 2-24 hours |
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Fried Beer Donut | Doughnuts? Zeppole de Birra are Italian style donuts that are easy to craft and delicious to devour!
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- 3/4 cup flour, all-purpose
- 1/2 cup flour, barley such as Central Milling Organic Barley Flour
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1 tablespoon
diastatic barley malt powder such as Diastatic Barley Malt Powder
- 1 tablespoon Dry Malt Extract (DME) available at Beer Beer and More Beer
- 2 teaspoon yeast, instant
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, kosher
- 1 cup beer, such as English Brown Ale, Bock, Munich Dunkel Lager, or Hefeweizen
- 1-2 quart oil, such as rice bran, peanut, or vegetable
- 1 recipe Malted Powdered Sugar recipe HERE
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, add the flours, diastatic malt powder, DME or sugar, yeast, baking powder, and salt. Whisk the dough on low speed to evenly mix the ingredients together.
- Add in the beer while still cold, and let the mixer combine the ingredients for 2 minutes until a dough forms.
- Remove the bowl from the mixer and cover it with plastic wrap. Transfer it to a refrigerator or kegerator and let it ferment overnight. This will allow the yeast to slowly consume the sugars and starches, creating a more flavorful Zeppole de Birra.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, add the flours, diastatic malt powder, DME or sugar, yeast, baking powder, and salt. Whisk the dough on low speed to evenly mix the ingredients together.
- Add in the room temperature beer (about 70°F | 21°C or warmer) and let the mixer combine the ingredients for 2 minutes until a dough forms.
- Remove the bowl from the mixer and cover it with plastic wrap. Let the dough rest at room temperature for 40 –60 minutes, or until it has doubled in volume.
- Create a frying station by lining a sheet tray with paper towels or using a metal grid-style cooling tray. Have a skimmer or slotted spoon ready to retrieve the finished Zeppoles from the hot oil. Fill a large pot or Dutch oven halfway with fry oil. I prefer rice bran oil, as it has the highest temperature rating, allowing it to reach 400°F | 204°C without burning. Heat the oil to 350°F | 177°C. If using a gas or electric stove, adjust the flame to keep the temperature as close to this value as possible.
- With the dough ready to go, use a small ice cream scoop, the size of one or two tablespoons, to scoop 6 – 10 dough balls out into the hot oil. Carefully turn each Zeppole de Birra with the skimmer, allowing them for cook evenly for about 2 – 3 minutes on each side. The Zeppole are done when they’re golden brown. Transfer the Italian doughnuts to the prepared sheet tray to drain any excess oil. Repeat this technique with the remaining dough.
- Zeppole are best served piping hot. To keep the first and last batch hot, preheat the oven to 250°F | 121°C and place the sheet tray in the oven after each batch is deep-fried.
- There are several ways to serve Zeppole. Traditionally, they’re coated in a generous layer of powdered sugar right out of the fryer or oven. I like to use my Malt Powdered Sugar recipe, adding a touch of DME to the mix of sweetness.
- The Zeppoles can also be filled with pastry cream, such as my Imperial Coffee Stout Pastry Cream. Follow this recipe and fill a pastry bag with the finished and cooled cream. Using a chopstick, make a small hole in a hot Zeppole. Insert the tip of the pastry bag into the hole, and squeeze until just full. Place onto a warm platter and dust with Malt Powdered Sugar.
Love Beer Donuts | Doughnuts?
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