Recipe by Valentina | The Baking Fairy on May 2, 2016
Prep time: PT180M
Cook time: PT10M
Total time: PT190M
Rating
4.82 stars (11 reviews)
Ingredients
250 g 2 cups bread flour
250 g 2 cups all-purpose flour
75 g heaping 1/3 cup granulated white sugar
100 g 7 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
20 g fresh cake yeast or 1 package (7g dry instant yeast)
7 g 1 1/2 tsp salt
150 g 3 whole large eggs
40 g 2 egg yolks
110 g 1/2 cup lukewarm water
zest of 1 orange
1 tsp vanilla extract
granulated sugar (for coating)
Categories
Breakfast
Cuisine
Italian
Steps
First, dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water, and allow it to sit until it blooms.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine all ingredients except for one of the whole eggs, and beat on medium speed for 5 minutes, then high speed for 5 more minutes.
Add in the remaining egg, and beat on medium speed until a smooth and elastic dough forms {you may have to add a little more flour if it seems too sticky}.
Knead by hand for a couple of minutes, then place the dough in a large, lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rise in a warm place for at least 2 hours until tripled in size.
After the first rise, lightly knead the dough, roll it out to 1.5 cm/0.5 inch thickness, and cut out rounds. I found a regular water glass to be the perfect size!
Transfer all your rounds to baking sheets lined with wax paper, spray lightly with water, and cover with plastic wrap or a tea towel. Allow the bomboloni to rise another hour and a half until they triple in size once more.
When ready to fry, heat vegetable oil in a large, deep pan to a temperature between 170-180C {a frying thermometer comes in handy}.
Fry the bomboloni a few at a time, making sure to not crowd the pan. Fry them for about 3 minutes on each side, until they are golden brown, then drain off the excess oil, and set them on a wire rack to cool.
While they are still warm, pour some granulated sugar in a small bowl, and roll the bomboloni around until completely coated in the sugar.
Fill as desired {I have included a link to the chantilly cream below}, and enjoy!
*NOTE* I have read that you can also bake these at 350F for about 20 minutes instead of frying (but I have not personally tried it).
Reviews
Habeeb K on 2025-06-26 (5 stars): I followed this recipe exactly (used an instant yeast packet instead of the fresh yeast) and the bombolinis we just perfect! This was literally my first time making any sort of yeasted or fried thing but they still came out looking like they were from a bakery (actually 100 times better than a bakery). Im going to make these so many times now!
Dede on 2025-03-30 (5 stars): Super easy, I do love making yeast breads and sweet rolls and this recipe doesn’t disappoint. My teenage grandson, my daughter and myself spent a few hours on a Sunday putting these together and everyone loved them. I mixed a bit of whipped cream in with pastry cream to lighten it up and we have ideas for the next time we make these. Bake shop worthy!
Tamzin on 2020-07-03 (5 stars): Oh my goodness, absolutely fabulous! Watched a YouTube video of these being made in Italy, wanted to give them a go as desperately miss this style of donut. Came across your recipe and I have just sat down after making them and devouring a "couple"
Thank you this is a keeper!!
