Bomboloni Recipes

BOMBOLONI (ITALIAN DOUGHNUTS)

Steps:

• In the bowl of an electric mixer, bring together 50 grams of flour, yeast, half the sugar, and water.
• Stir the ingredients and mix until smooth.
• Cover with a plastic wrap and leave to rest in a warm place until the mixture is foamy (about an hour).
• Add the milk, egg yolks, vanilla and salt to the mixture and use a dough hook on low speed to incorporate the ingredients.
• Slowly add the rest of the flour a few tablespoons at a time.
• Add the oil and mix for another 4-5 minutes until the dough is smooth.
• Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
• When ready to cook, transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface, and let it warm up a little before rolling it out, about 15 minutes.
• Roll out the dough to half-inch thickness and cut out rounds with a 1.5-inch diameter cutter.
• Pat any leftover dough into a rectangle and cut more circles out of it.
• Heat the oil in a deep-fryer or heavy-bottomed saucepan to 350F/180C.
• Deep-fry, without crowding the pan, turning each disc once or twice for even browning, until puffed and golden.
• Drain on paper towels and roll in sugar before serving with lemon curd on the side or melted chocolate.. yum!

APPLE BOMBOLONI

Steps:

• For the dough: In a mixing bowl with a paddle attachment, add the dry ingredients and mix for 5 seconds to blend. Add the butter and vanilla and mix until the butter is about the size of peas. Add the cold water and blend until the dough just comes together. Form the dough into a roughly shaped ball, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.
• Applesauce filling: Peel, core, and slice the apples. Put the apples with the rest of the ingredients into a saucepan. Bring to a boil, turn down the heat, and cook until the apples are very soft, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat, cool, and refrigerate.
• Diced apples: Peel, core, and cut the apples into large dice. Toss with the sugar, vanilla and lemon juice and set aside.
• Assemble the bomboloni: Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Roll out to 1/4-inch thick round. Cut into 6-inch rounds. Place about 1/4 cup of the Apple Sauce Filling onto the center of each round. Top with a few pieces of the Diced Apples. Pull the sides up towards the center to form a bundle, pinching the dough together towards top. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour before baking
• Bake the bombolonis: Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Remove the bombolonis from the refrigerator and place them on a greased or parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes.

BOMBOLONI

Steps:

• In a mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in the milk (an electric mixer will work well for this recipe). Add the flour, ¼ cup sugar, the eggs, butter, and orange and lemon zest; mix them in thoroughly. Knead the dough until it is very smooth, then add the salt and knead for 2 or 3 minutes more. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough proof in the refrigerator for 6 hours. Line a sheet pan with parchment or wax paper. Remove the dough from the bowl and roll it out on a clean working surface into a sheet ¼ inch thick. Cut 3-inch circles out of the dough with a cookie cutter or glass. Place the circles, not too close to one another, on the sheet pan, and drape plastic wrap loosely over them. Let the circles proof at room temperature for 30 minutes - they will puff up and out a little. In a deep pan over medium-heat, warm the oil until it reaches 375?F. (a drop of water will splutter and crackle in it). Drop in the circles, a few at a time, and fry them until they're golden brown, lifting them out of the oil as they are done and draining them on paper towels. When they are cool enough to handle, dip the bomboloni in sugar and arrange them, sugared side up, on a platter. If you like, fill each bomboloni with pastry cream: Fill a pastry bag with pastry cream. Insert the medium-size tip into the center of the bottom of each bomboloni and squeeze gently to release about 1 tablespoon of cream. Carefully remove the tip from the pastry.

BOMBOLONI

Steps:

• Dissolve the yeast in a small bowl with the cold water. Place the flour, eggs, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until the ingredients are dispersed, about 5 seconds. Add the dissolved yeast and beat for about 2 minutes on medium-high speed, until the dough is well combined and holds together. Add the cubed butter and mix for another 5 to 7 minutes, until the dough no longer sticks to the side of the mixing bowl. If the dough is overly sticky, you may need to add about 1 tablespoon of flour. It is usually necessary to scrape down the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula to encourage the dough to form a ball and come away from the side. Remove the paddle and pat the dough into a ball at the bottom of the bowl. Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rest at room temperature for about 20 minutes. The dough will rise slightly.
• Remove the dough from the mixing bowl and punch it down to remove the air. Spread it onto a lightly floured baking sheet with your fingers and flatten the dough until it is about 3/4-inch thick. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours or overnight. It will slightly proof.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place on a lightly floured work surface. Flatten it slightly with your hands. Cut the dough into circles with a 1 1/2-inch diameter cutter, keeping the cuts as close together as possible. Pat any leftover dough into a rectangle and cut more circles out of it. (At this stage, the Bombolini can be frozen for up to 1 week if well wrapped in plastic wrap. Allow the Bombolini to defrost in the refrigerator before proofing.)
• Place the Bomboloni on a parchment covered baking sheet lightly sprayed with vegetable cooking spray. Space them 2 inches apart. Loosely cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap. Allow the Bomboloni to proof at room temperature for about 2 hours, until they have doubled in size and appear light and full of air.
• Heat the oil about 15 minutes in an electric fryer or in a 4-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat to 320 degrees F. If using a saucepan, check the temperature with a candy thermometer. Fry 5 to 7 Bomboloni at one time, any more than that and the oil temperature will dip down too much and they will not fry evenly. Fry for a total of 3 to 5 minutes, until they are golden brown. Turn to evenly fry each side. As they fry, they will increase in size. Remove the Bomboloni with a large slotted spoon and set on a paper towel to drain the excess oil.
• While the Bomboloni are still warm, roll them in a bowl filled with granulated sugar until evenly coated. If desired, fill the Bomboloni with a jam-filled pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch plain tip. Use a sharp paring knife to make a small hole on the bottom of each Bomboloni. Place the tip of the pastry bag in the hole and squeeze until the Bomboloni feels heavy. It is best to fill the Bomboloni while they are still warm and the dough soft and pliable. Serve immediately.