Now I’m not Italian - but what the Hell’s up with the Zeppole at Monteleone’s? The newly reopened authentic Italian Bakery in the heart of Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn serves their traditional Italian Donuts baked, not fried! At least that’s what the cashier tells me. And to the best of Blognut’s knowledge, the fried-ness is what makes Zeppole Zeppole. That and the fact that every Zeppola (singular spelling) I’ve had to date has only been composed of a small knot of filling-less dough. But Monty’s version seems to be more of an oversized cream puff accented by two withered cherries.

However, a bit of research humbles Blognut’s air of Donut-knowledge. It seems that many traditional Italian-American Zeppole recipes require the pastry to be baked, not fried. And they’re often composed of a light and airy, filled dough similar to an American popover stuffed with thick cream. Particularly St. Joseph’s Day Cream Puffs, or Zeppole di San Giuseppe, which are generally baked and cream filled.

But here’s where things get confusing. Upon tasting my Zeppola I detect that fried crispy-ness and oily aftertaste so associated with fried cuisine. It seems to walk the line between having been submerged in boiling oil and simply baked, and I compromise that it’s lightly fried. In the end, I really have no idea whether Zeppole must be fried, baked, stuffed or just plain doughy. I figure “Zeppole” most likely developed as a catch-all term for any Italian pastry consisting of a ball of dough. However, I do know that most American Zeppole tend to be limp and taste-less, while whatever this is, has a rich, creamy flavor and a satisfying exoskeleton of crunch. Since I was unable to speak with Monteleone’s baker, can anyone out there confirm the doughy-ness, creamy-ness, and fried-ness of authentic Italian Zeppole?

Monteleone’s
355 Court St
Carroll Gardens
Brooklyn, NY

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