Bigne’ di San Giuseppe (St. Joseph’s Cream Puffs), a typical Roman recipe, light and airy, with a small trick to make them look not fried. They are prepared on Father’s Day and can be found in every pastry shop, bar, or bakery in Rome, and their aroma conquers even the less greedy like Frappe and Castagnole.
This is the famous choux pastry dough used for both Bigne’ and Zeppole. As with all traditional recipes, there are several variations, especially in the filling: many creams are used, such as cream puffs with eggless chocolate cream or cream puffs with white chocolate cream, but the famous Roman St. Joseph’s cream puffs are, as tradition dictates, filled with custard cream and then either fried or baked.
Ingredients:
For the choux pastry:
- 5 eggs
- 50g (1/4 cup) butter
- 250ml (1 cup) water
- 250g (2 cups) all-purpose flour
- Sunflower oil (for frying)
- Powdered sugar (for dusting)
For the custard cream (Crème Pâtissière):
- 2 egg yolks
- 90g (1/2 cup) sugar
- 60g (1/2 cup) all-purpose flour
- Vanilla flavoring
- 500ml (2 cups) milk
How to prepare Bignè di San Giuseppe:
Custard cream (Crème Pâtissière): You can find the recipe for crème pâtissière in this recipe
- Put the water in a pot, add the butter, and melt it on the stove.
- When the butter has melted and bubbles form, remove the pot from the heat and add all the flour at once, stirring until a ball forms that detaches from the sides of the pot.
- Transfer the mixture to a bowl and let it cool with the help of a spatula or fork until it’s slightly warm and can be handled with your hands; only then add the eggs one at a time.
- Let each egg incorporate before adding the next one.
Shaping and baking the Bignè di San Giuseppe:
- Once you’ve added all the eggs, the mixture will be very creamy but dense.
- Fill a piping bag and start piping small mounds onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper using a large star tip.
- Start with the base and then close the circle.
- Don’t put too much dough in, or the puffs will clump. You can decide the size yourself; I made medium-sized puffs. Bake in a hot oven at 200°C (400°F) for 10 minutes until a crust forms.
- Then take them out of the oven and dip them in the oil you’ve heated beforehand. Note that the oil temperature should be between 160-170°C (320-340°F).
- Drain on absorbent paper, fill with the cream, and finally dust with powdered sugar.
Crème pâtissière with Thermomix:
Put all ingredients in the bowl 7 minutes, 90°C (194°F), speed 4
Enjoy your meal!
