Bomboloni alla Crema (Printable)

Light Italian doughnuts filled with smooth vanilla pastry cream, a classic sweet treat.

# What You Need:

→ Dough

01 - 4 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1/4 cup granulated sugar
03 - 1 packet (2 1/4 tsp) instant dry yeast
04 - 3/4 cup whole milk, lukewarm
05 - 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
06 - 2 large eggs
07 - 1 tsp vanilla extract
08 - 1/2 tsp salt
09 - Zest of 1 lemon

→ Pastry Cream

10 - 2 cups whole milk
11 - 4 large egg yolks
12 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar
13 - 3 tbsp cornstarch
14 - 1 tsp vanilla extract
15 - Zest of 1/2 lemon
16 - 2 tbsp unsalted butter

→ Frying and Finishing

17 - Vegetable oil, for deep frying
18 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar, for coating

# Steps:

01 - In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together lukewarm milk, eggs, vanilla extract, and lemon zest. Mix wet and dry ingredients, then add softened butter. Knead for 8-10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 1-1.5 hours, or until doubled in size.
02 - In a saucepan, heat milk with lemon zest until just simmering. In a bowl, whisk together egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch until smooth. Gradually pour hot milk into yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Return mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring, until thickened for about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and butter. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap touching the surface, and chill.
03 - Punch down the risen dough and roll out on a floured surface to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut out rounds using a 2.5-3 inch cutter. Place on a baking sheet, cover, and let rise 30-40 minutes. Heat oil in a deep pan to 340°F. Fry bomboloni in batches, 2-3 minutes per side, until golden. Drain on paper towels and roll in granulated sugar while still warm.
04 - Place chilled pastry cream in a piping bag fitted with a long nozzle. Poke a hole in each bombolone and pipe in the cream generously.

# Expert Hints:

01 -
  • The dough becomes impossibly light, almost cloudlike, thanks to that patient rise time
  • Fresh vanilla pastry cream puts those store versions to absolute shame
  • Theres something magical about frying dough in your own kitchen, the way it transforms into golden perfection
  • These are breakfast and dessert wrapped into one glorious package
02 -
  • Oil temperature is everything, too cold and they absorb grease, too hot and they burn outside while remaining raw inside
  • The pastry cream must be completely cold before filling or it will melt the sugar coating and make a mess
  • Letting the shaped dough rise the second time is what creates that signature airy interior
  • Freshly fried bomboloni sugar coating better than room temperature ones
03 -
  • Weigh your ingredients instead of using cups for consistent results every time
  • The plastic wrap trick on pastry cream is the difference between silky smooth and a weird skin situation
  • A chopstick works perfectly for creating the filling hole if you do not have a long piping tip

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