Homemade Bomboloni – Italian Donuts

Great days start with bomboloni (italian donuts). They are soft, fluffy and filled with delicate vanilla cream. They pair beautifully with a cappuccino or a glass of milk for colazione (Italian breakfast). However, if you’re anything like me, you’ll find every excuse to grab a few more during the day. They’re just SO GOOD. 

JUMP TO RECIPE

Let’s be honest, who can say “no” to freshly baked, homemade, pillowy bomboloni donuts filled with delicious vanilla cream?! Made with a simple dough that has just the right amount of sweetness, these donuts are fried into soft, fluffy perfection, then tossed in a generous coating of lemon sugar. Fill them with delicate vanilla flavoured cream for extra indulgence and deliciousness!

Ingredients

For the Bomboloni Dough: 

• Milk: Use lukewarm, whole milk. 
• Fresh Yeast: You’ll need 20g of fresh yeast. Crumble the yeast with your hands and add it to the lukewarm milk. Combine until it’s completely dissolved using a spoon or a small whisk. 
• Sugar: This type of dough is just slightly sweet, therefore 60 g of granulated sugar is what you’ll need for making the dough. Additional sugar will be needed to coat the donuts after they are cooked.
• Sunflower Oil: I like using sunflower oil as in my opinion, it’s a type of oil that doesn’t add any additional flavour. In this recipe, I add 70 ml to the dough and use extra sunflower oil for frying the donuts.
• Eggs: You’ll need 2 large eggs at room temperature.
• Orange Zest: You can use the zest from 1 orange. This will add a subtle flavour and an amazing citrusy smell to the dough. However, you can use lemon zest instead if you prefer.
• Vanillina: Using vanillina is optional, however, if it’s available to you, I would strongly recommend it. It adds a subtle vanilla flavour to the dough that combines beautifully with the rest of the ingredients. You can also order it from Amazon if it’s not available at your local supermarket (that’s what I do!)
• Flour: First of all, use a scale to measure your flour. It’s the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will lead to great bakes each time! Second of all, sift the flour before baking. Use 550 g of “00” flour or ideally half “00” flour and half Manitoba flour. 

What you’ll need for the Vanilla Cream (Crema Pasticera)

• Eggs: You’ll need 4 eggs, separated. Only the egg yolks will be required to make the crema pasticera. 
• Milk: Use whole milk. You’ll need to heat the milk into a pot over medium-low heat until it’s hot. Then, with the help of a ladle, you will start incorporating the milk into the rest of the ingredients whisking continuously. Read the full recipe instructions on the recipe card for step-by-step instructions.
• Corn Starch: Sift the corn starch before using it. This way, you will avoid having a lumpy texture. Don’t allow the corn starch and egg yolks to sit without whisking as the corn starch will start cooking the eggs and this is not what we’re after here. It’s best to heat the milk first, then incorporate egg yolks, corn starch and vanilla and then add a ladle of hot milk at a time and incorporate. The corn starch will help thicken the cream. 
• Vanilla Bean Pod or Vanilla Extract: You can use either a vanilla bean pod or 1 1/2 teaspoon of good quality vanilla extract. 

FAQ

How to fry homemade bomboloni donuts?

 

Place the sunflower oil in a cast-iron skillet or a shallow pot and bring it up to 170 °C (about 338 degrees F). Bear in mind that when you’re adding the donuts, the temperature of the oil will slightly decrease. If the oil gets too hot, just add a little more oil and that will adjust the temperature.

Fry a few donuts at a time (3 or 4 maximum depending on the size of your pot or skillet). Turn them around every 30 seconds or so. Cook them for no longer than 2 – 3 minutes in total.

When cooked, dry on a paper towel to remove any excess oil, then toss them whilst they are still warm in lemon sugar. Allow cooling completely before filling them.

 

How long does bomboloni last?

 

Bomboloni are best eaten the day they are made. If you want to keep them for longer, store them in an air-tight container, at room temperature for 2 – 3 days. If you are making the donuts ahead of time, do not fill them with vanilla cream. Keep the vanilla cream in the fridge and pipe the donuts only when you are ready to serve them. I would recommend that you warm the donuts in the microwave if you are eating them in the next couple of days.

 

Can I make the Vanilla Cream ahead of time?

 

Yes! I would actually recommend making the cream the night before and storing it in the fridge in an air-tight container or covered in cling film. When ready to use, allow the cream to come at room temperature before piping, otherwise, if you try mixing the cream whilst cold from the fridge you will see “lumps” forming and you might think that you’ve done something wrong. If you wish to speed things up, place the cream over a bain-marie and allow it to warm up slightly, whisking continuously. Be mindful not to warm it up too much otherwise, it will become too runny and you’ll not be able to pipe the donuts after.

 

 

Homemade Bomboloni - Italian Donuts

These bomboloni donuts are soft, fluffy and filled with delicate vanilla cream. They pair beautifully with a cappuccino or a glass of milk for colazione (Italian breakfast) or as a treat during the day!

Print

Ingredients

For the Dough

• 200 ml whole milk, lukewarm
• 20 g fresh yeast
• 60 g granulated sugar
• 75 g sunflower oil + 750 ml for frying
• 2 large eggs
• zest from 1 orange
• vanillina or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 550 g "oo" flour, sifted

To Coat the Donuts

• 80 g granulated sugar
• zest from 1 lemon

For The Custard Cream (Crema Pasticera)

• 4 egg yolks
• 500 ml whole milk
• 40 g corn starch
• 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Make the Donuts Dough

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer add the lukewarm milk and fresh yeast. Mix well with a fork or a small whisk until the fresh yeast has completely dissolved. Set aside for 5 minutes.
2. To the same bowl add the granulated sugar, eggs, vanillina (or 1 tsp vanilla extract), orange zest and sunflower oil. Whisk to combine.
3. Attach the bowl to the stand mixer and set the dough hook attachment.
4. Turn the machine on medium-low (speed 2 for a Kitchenaid) and start adding the flour in batches. Allow the dough to fully incorporate and for the gluten strands to start developing. This can take between 12 - 15 minutes. You should obtain a soft and elastic dough.
5. Lightly grease a medium/large bowl with sunflower oil, then transfer the dough and cover it tightly in cling film. Allow it to proof for 2 - 3 hours (it depends on how warm your environment is). The dough should have doubled in size at this point.

Roll and Fry the Donuts

1. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured worktop and roll it using a rolling pin to a thickness of 1.5 cm.
2. Use one medium round cookie cutter (or a glass) to cut out as many donuts as you can. Pre-cut squares of parchment paper (about 7 x 7 cm) and place each cut donut on a square and then onto a tray or even a large board. Cover them with plastic wrap as you re-roll and cut out the remaining dough. Allow the donuts to proof at room temperature for 30 minutes.
3. In a cast-iron skillet or a medium shallow pot, add enough vegetable oil to cover about 5 cm and bring it to 170 *C.
4. Lift one donut holding the edges of the parchment paper. Gently place it in the heated oil, then, remove the parchment paper using some kitchen tongues. Continue with the remaining donuts. Fry the donuts, two or three at a time, for 30 seconds on each side for a total of about 2-3 minutes.
5. Dry the donuts off on paper towels quickly and then immediately toss them in the bowl of the lemon sugar mix. Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

Prepare the Custard Filling

1. Place a medium bowl in the freezer. This will be needed to quickly cool down the cream once cooked.
2. Pour the milk into a pot and heat on low heat until hot.
3. In a medium bowl add eggs yolks, sugar, vanilla extract and corn starch. Whisk thoroughly to combine.
4. Using a ladle, start adding hot milk to the mixture, stirring continuously. Continue until all the milk is combined.
5. Then transfer the mixture back to the pot over medium-low heat and mix continuously until the cream starts to thicken.
6. Transfer the cream to the cold bowl and whisk until the cream cools down completely.

Fill the Donuts

1. To fill the bomboloni insert a small knife into the side of a doughnut and move it around to make a small incision.
2. Fill a piping bag with the pastry cream and pipe it into the doughnuts.

Notes

Other filling ideas:

• Nutella
• Jam of your choice

Reel Video for Bomboloni on Instagram!

Check these bomboloni donuts video here.