Chocolate Bomboloni: Irresistible Italian Doughnuts

Bomboloni are delicious fried brioche with a soft, airy texture and a mouthwatering filling that bursts with flavor in the bite.

With chocolate cream, fruit jam or velvety custard, these Italian treats are sure to please.

Enjoy fresh and warm, Bomboloni are perfect for breakfast, dessert or a special snack.

Why you’ll love this recipe

• Rich in flavor: Choose your favorite filling, from chocolate hazelnut cream to custard.
• Irresistible texture: Light, fluffy and perfectly golden doughnuts.
• Family favorite: Loved by all ages, these are the ultimate crowd-pleaser.
• Perfect for sharing: Contains 20 doughnuts, all to enjoy and share.

Cooking Time and Servings

• Preparation Time: 20 minutes
• Rising Time: 2 hours
• Cooking Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 2 hours 50 minutes
• Yield: About 20 Bomboloni

Ingredients

For the Dough

• 3 cups all-purpose flour (or bread flour)
• 2 1/4 teaspoons fast-acting dry yeast
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar + more for coating
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 3/4 cup whole milk, warmed
• 4 tablespoons softened butter (1/2 stick)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For Frying and Filling

• Vegetable oil, for frying
• Filling of choice: chocolate-hazelnut spread, jam, or pastry cream

METHOD

Pick a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook and combine in together the flour, yeast, salt, sugar, and lemon zest.

You’ll need to add the eggs, milk, butter and vanilla extract, mixing well.

You can then knead the dough in the stand mixer or if making the dough by hand around 2 minutes and then tip it onto a floured work surface and knead for 5 minutes, or until it’s smooth and elastic but still quite sticky.

Finally, be sure to transfer the dough to a large, lightly oiled bowl.

Always remember to cover with a plastic wrap. And please let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Okay now, roll out the dough with a rolling pin until about 3/4 inch thick.

Then, using a round pastry cutter, cut the dough into disks the size of a cup. Immediately place the dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, covering with plastic wrap and let rise for another 1 hour.

Heat oil to 350 F in a large, deep pan.

After that, you may want to fry the doughnuts in batches, turning halfway through the cooking time, until golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes.

When finished, remove using a slotted spoon and then drain on paper towels. At this point, dredge the doughnuts in granulated sugar until completely covered.

Spoon your favourite filling into a piping bag fitted with a medium nozzle.

Chocolate doughnuts are now ready to be served!