Bomboloni alla Crema (Printable)

Fluffy fried doughnuts filled with silky vanilla custard, a beloved Italian sweet treat.

# What You Need:

→ Dough

01 - 4 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1/4 cup granulated sugar
03 - 1 packet instant dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
04 - 3/4 cup whole milk, lukewarm
05 - 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
06 - 2 large eggs
07 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
08 - 1/2 teaspoon 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 - 1/3 cup cornstarch
14 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
15 - Zest of 1/2 lemon
16 - 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

→ Frying and Finishing

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

# How To Make It:

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 (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 1/2–3 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 Tips:

01 -
  • The outside stays crisp and sugary while the inside becomes impossibly tender, almost melting in your mouth
  • That moment you bite through and hit the cold vanilla cream is absolutely worth every minute of waiting for dough to rise
02 -
  • The oil temperature is everything, too cool and they soak up grease, too hot and they burn outside while raw inside
  • Let the pastry cool completely before filling or the cream will melt and run out everywhere
03 -
  • Use a kitchen thermometer for the oil, guessing leads to inconsistent results
  • The piping bag needs a long narrow tip to reach deep inside without making obvious holes

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