Bomboloni are round little Italian doughnuts that were developed in Tuscany. They are made with a yeasted dough, so they are very light and fluffy. They are classically served with breakfast or as a late morning snack and can be found all over Europe. They are sold in pastry shops, on street corners and even by vendors out on the beach! They are classically fried, but today, I am making them in the oven. Baking is not only a bit more healthy, but it is so much easier and leaves you with less to clean up afterward.
Bomboloni are delicious in their basic form, which is whole and lightly dusted with sugar, but today, I am making a variety of bomboloni. You can dress them up just as you would any other doughnuts! Powdered sugar, cinnamon sugar, dip them in chocolate, fill them with custard or maybe a decadent chocolate cream (hint hint). Whatever you decide to do with your bomboloni, I just know that you will love them! Lets get these little flavor “bombs” started…
This dough comes together in one large bowl, so pick a nice big bowl and add 1 cup of all purpose flour, 1/4 cup of sugar, 1 packet of instant yeast (7 grams) and 1/4 teaspoon of salt and whisk them to combine. Next, add 2/3 of a cup of warm milk, 3 tablespoons of melted butter, 2 egg yolks and 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract. Whisk until everything is fully combined and then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set it aside for about 10 minutes. You are looking for little bubbles to appear over the surface (photo below).
Once you see the little bubbles, remove the plastic wrap and add 1 1/2 cups of flour and mix until a dough comes together. Begin kneading the dough inside the bowl. If the dough is sticking to your hands, add a bit more flour (as little as you can get away with) until the dough does not stick. Continue to knead with dry hands for about 5 minutes. Recover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rest in a warm spot for about 90 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.
Once the dough has doubled in size, transfer it onto a lightly floured surface and roll it out into a large circle about 1/2″ thick. Using a round cookie cutter (I used a 2 1/2″ round cutter), cut out 12 doughnuts and place them onto a parchment lined baking sheet. If you did not get 12 cut outs from your first roll, gather the remaining dough, roll it out again and cut out additional rounds until you have 12 or more.
Cover the sheet with a light towel and allow the doughnuts to rest for between 20-45 minutes. You are looking for them to puff up. If your house is nice and warm, this should only take 20 minutes, but if it is a bit cooler then leave them to rise for 45 minutes or so. In the meantime, preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
While the doughnuts are rising, start your chocolate Italian cream by placing 4 oz of mascarpone, 1/3 of a cup of confectioners sugar and 1/4 cup of cocoa powder into a bowl and mix until well combined. Next, add 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract and 1/2 cup of heavy cream and whip until light and fluffy. Once the cream is a good texture, transfer it into a pastry bag with a medium start tip and place it in the refrigerator to chill until the doughnuts are baked and ready to fill.
Once your doughnuts have puffed up, bake them on a middle rack at 375 degrees for between 10-12 minutes. They should puff up a little more and their tops should be a light golden brown. Once they are done, remove them from the oven and place them onto a cooling rack.
You can dress your bomboloni up many different ways! I like a little variety in my doughnuts, so I filled some with the incredible chocolate Italian cream, dipped some in chocolate ganache (1/3 cup of chocolate and 1/4 cup of hot heavy cream), dusted some in sugar and rolled some in cinnamon sugar.
Bomboloni are traditionally filled by piercing a hole in the top of the doughnut, filling it and leaving a bit of the filling visible at the top. I think it looks so cute!
If you want to dust your bomboloni in sugar, as soon as you bring them out of the oven, brush them in melted butter and roll them around in either plain granulated sugar or some cinnamon sugar. Both are fantastic!
These little doughnuts are so fun and absolutely delicious, however you decide to dress them up. Serve them with some coffee and share them with friends…
Bomboloni
Ingredients
Bomboloni Dough
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 packet of instant yeast
- 2/3 cup whole milk, warm (between 100-110 degrees)
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted
- 2 egg yolks
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Chocolate Italian Cream
- 4 ounces mascarpone, room temperature
- 1/3 cup confectioners sugar
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
Sugar Coating
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
Bomboloni
- In a large bowl, combine 1 cup of flour, 1/4 cup of granulated sugar, 1 envelope of fast acting yeast and 1/4 teaspoon of salt
- Warm up 2/3 of a cup of milk to about 100 degrees F (this should take about 30 seconds in the microwave)
- Add the warmed milk to the dry ingredients along with 3 tablespoons of melted butter, 2 egg yolks and 1/2 of a teaspoon of vanilla extract and mix well to ensure everything is fully combined
- Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and allow it to sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes. You are looking for some bubbles to form over the surface
- Add 1 1/2 cup of flour, mix to incorporate and begin kneading in the bowl with clean hands
- If the dough is sticking to your hands, add a bit of flour (as little as possible) until the dough can be kneaded without sticking to your hands
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, then top with a kitchen towel and allow the dough to rest at room temperature for about 90 minutes
- Once the dough has doubled in size, transfer it to a lightly floured work surface and roll it out to a large circle about 1/2" in thickness
- Cut round circles of dough with a large round cookie cutter. If you use a 2 1/2" or 3" cutter, you should get 12 doughnuts. You can gather and roll out the remaining dough and cut additional doughnuts, if possible
- Place the doughnuts on to a parchment lined baking sheet and cover the baking sheet with a light kitchen towel and allow them to rest until they are puffed up (about 45 minutes)
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees while the doughnuts are resting
- Once the doughnuts have puffed up, bake them on a middle rack at 375 degrees for between 10 and 12 minutes or until the doughnuts become lightly golden
- Transfer the baked bomboloni onto a cooling rack
Chocolate Italian Cream
- To make the chocolate Italian cream filling, combine mascarpone, confectioners sugar and cocoa powder and whip until fully combined
- Add the vanilla extract and heavy cream and whip until light and fluffy
- Chill the whipped chocolate Italian cream until ready to use
Assembly
- If you are dusting the exterior of the doughnuts, brush them with melted butter while still hot and roll them in fine sugar or cinnamon sugar and return them to the cooing rack
- If you are filling the doughnuts, insert a sharp knife into the top or end of the doughnut. Insert the pastry bag and fill into you feel the filling push back a bit
