Bombolini with Crema Pasticcera are essentially Italian doughnuts filled with pastry cream that explode when you take a bite. Traditionally, bombolini were served with espresso as a little treat along side your coffee.
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Like any pastry, bombolini can be made at any time of the year. While sfingi or zeppole with fabbri cherries are usually made for St Joseph's Day.
This recipe for bombolini was inspired by my other recipe for baked doughnuts. Give them a try if you are looking for something on the healthy side!
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Here's Why You'll Love this Dish
- Versatile - customize them with the pastry cream flavor of your choice
- Flavorful - light and delicious
- Crowd pleaser - adults and children alike with love these
- Easy to make - simple, non complicated recipe
Ingredients You'll Need
You will need the following ingredients to make Bombolini: whole milk, dry yeast, sugar, vegetable oil, egg, vanilla extract, flour, salt.
Whole milk is used as a starter to activate the dry yeast
Vanilla extract flavors the dough and is a staple in Italian desserts
Flour is essential to make the dough whether it is all purpose flour or 00 flour.
See recipe card for full list of ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Bombolini with Crema Pasticcera
Start by allowing the yeast to activate in the warm milk.
Mix together milk, yeast, sugar, vegetable oil, egg and vanilla extract. Mix well.
Gradually add the flour and salt a little bit at a time. Once the dough becomes sticky, switch to a dough hook.
Sprinkle a little bit of flour on a surface and roll out the dough. Cover your hands with some flour to make it easier to roll out the dough into a ball. Place the dough into a bowl that has been brushed with vegetable oil. Make sure you roll the dough in the oil as well so that it doesn't stick to the sides of the bowl. Cover the dough and let rest for about 2 hrs or until it has doubled or tripled in size.
Once the dough has risen, turn it out onto the floured surface again and roll it out to about ¾ " thickness. Using a glass with a large opening cut out circles. You can also use a cookie cutter.
Cover the doughnuts and let rise until they have doubled or tripled in size.
Warm up vegetable oil in a deep fryer or in a saucepan that is large enough to fry 3 dough nuts at a time.
Grab each doughnut and either lay it in the fryer with the parchment paper or turn it upside down as if to place it in the fryer. Remove parchment paper and turn the dough nut once the bottom is golden.
Remove from heat and place the doughnut in a bowl filled with sugar. Toss in sugar then place on a cooling rack to cool completely. Repeat until you have fried all the doughnuts.
Once the bombolini have cooled completely. Use a piping attachment, fill the doughnuts with your favorite pastry cream, jelly, or other filling.
Storage: These Italian Bombolini with pastry cream should be consumed the same day they are made. You can however, make the pastry cream in advance, a couple of days before if you wish.
Meal Prep Tips
To prevent the doughnuts from deflating, cut the parchment paper into squares before you place each doughnut on them or cut them just before frying.
Variations of Bombolini filled with Pastry Cream
You don't have to stop at making Bombolini with crema pasticcera. You can fill these Italian doughnuts with:
- Jelly Filling - fill with your favorite fruit jelly
- Nutella Filling - fill with your favorite hazelnut filling or chocolate ganache
- Cinnamon Sugar - dust the doughnuts in a cinnamon sugar coating
- Apple Chunks - add apple chunks to the dough and skip the filling all together.
If you can think of any other way to make this recipe unique, go for it!
Answers to Commonly Asked Questions
Bombolini are usually rolled into balls while traditional doughnuts are cut out into circles. Also the leavening process for bombolini takes longer which makes them airier and lighter in consistency.
The main difference is that zeppole are made with ricotta which makes them incredibly light while bombolini are not.
Bombolini simply means an Italian filled doughnut.
More Desserts
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Recipe Details
Bombolini with Crema Pasticcera
https://easyhomemaderecipes.caEquipment
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup milk warm
- 1 ¼ tsp dry yeast
- 2 ½ tbsp sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 large egg
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup pastry cream see recipe for full details
Instructions
- Place warm milk and dry yeast in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle and let sit for 5 minutes.
- Mix together milk, yeast, sugar, vegetable oil, egg and vanilla extract. Mix well.
- Gradually add the flour and salt a little bit at a time. Once the dough becomes sticky, switch to a dough hook.
- Sprinkle a little bit of flour on a surface and roll out the dough. Cover your hands with some flour to make it easier to roll out the dough into a ball. Place the dough into a bowl that has been brushed with vegetable oil. Make sure you roll the dough in the oil as well so that it doesn't stick to the sides of the bowl. Cover the dough and let rest for about 2 hrs or until it has doubled or tripled in size.
- Once the dough has risen, turn it out onto the floured surface again and roll it out to about ¾ " thickness. Using a glass with a large opening cut out circles. You can also use a cookie cutter.
- Place the dough circles on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat until you have used up all the dough.
- Before you cover them and place them in a draft free space to rise, cut around the doughnuts so that you can lay them in the fryer instead of trying to unstick them from the parchment paper. Cover the doughnuts and let rise until they have doubled or tripled in size.
- Warm up vegetable oil in a deep fryer or in a saucepan that is large enough to fry 3 doughnuts at a time. You'll know the oil is ready when you place a little piece of dough in the hot oil and it starts to fizz furiously. (375 to 380℉) Reduce the heat to medium.
- Grab each dough nut and either lay it in the fryer with the parchment paper or turn it upside down as if to place it in the fryer. Remove parchment paper and turn the dough nut once the bottom is golden.
- Remove from heat and place the doughnut in a bowl filled with sugar. Toss in sugar then place on a cooling rack to cool completely. Repeat until you have fried all the doughnuts.
- Once the bombolini have cooled completely. Use a piping attachment, fill the doughnuts with your favorite pastry cream, jelly, or other filling.
Nutrition
PIN it for later here
Food Safety
Note that the storage guidelines provided on this page and site are estimates from personal experiences. We are all adults and as an adult you are responsible to ensure that the food you eat is safe to eat. Since, I'm not a food safety expert, you are responsible to review your local guidelines on food storage prior to storing any food left-overs.
Remember to:
- Not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
For Canadian Guidelines check the Government of Canada Food Safety Guidelines or see more guidelines at USDA.gov.
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