Bomboloni: the delicious recipe for making Italian filled doughnuts

Bomboloni are an Italian recipe for enjoying fried filled doughnuts for breakfast or as a dessert. Super easy to make, this soft yeast dough is fried, rolled in sugar, and filled with Nutella, jam or a pastry cream.

Bomboloni are sugary and slightly crispy on the outside, while the inside is super soft and encloses an irresistible chocolate filling. Similar to Berliner or Krapfen, the name bombolone, also known as bombe, means "big bomb" as it is a real explosion of flavor in the mouth.

Italian bomboloni are made with a semi-sweet leavened dough, made with a few eggs, which after a first rest is rolled out in a rectangle and then carved into many circles. Once the discs are formed, they are briefly left to rise and then immersed in hot oil; at this point the dough will swell and take on its characteristic shape. As soon as they are drained and still hot, the bomboloni can be filled and sprinkled with powdered sugar, and then immediately eaten.

Perfect for breakfast, as an alternative to the classic croissant, they can also be enjoyed as a snack or during a sweet break.

Bomboloni vs Doughnuts

Bomboloni differ from classic doughnuts not only for their origin. American doughnuts usually have a hole in the center. On the other hand, Italian doughnuts are round, fried filled with chocolate, cream, marmella and finally rolled in sugar

Italian Bomboloni Filling Ideas

You can fill bomboloni as you want according to taste. Fill bomboloni with custard, jam, pastry cream, chocolate Nutella spread, whipped cream or dulce de leche.

Tips for the Best Bomboloni Chocolate-Filled Donuts

If you want a lighter recipe, you can also bake bomboloni in the oven.

Don't overcrowd the pan when frying bomboloni, otherwise they will not cook well.

Let bomboloni cool before filling them.

How to store Italian Bomboloni

It is best to enjoy bomboloni when still hot or warm. You can store them without filling out of the refrigerator, covered with cling film, for 2 days.

You can store filled bomboloni in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. It is best not to freeze them.

How to make Bomboloni Italian Doughnuts

Crumble the yeast into the milk at room temperature (1).

Add the sugar (2).

Stir and let it rest for a few seconds. Then mix again until completely dissolved (3).

Collect both types of flour in a large bowl, then mix them together (4).

Gradually incorporate the liquid with the yeast, mixing with a fork (5).

Flavor with the grated lemon peel (6).

Also add the egg (7) and mix. Finally, stir in the butter and salt.

Transfer the mixture to a work surface and knead well (8).

Shape it into a ball, place it in a bowl and cover with cling film (9). Place in a sheltered place, such as an oven with the light on, and let it rise for about two hours.

Take the dough when it has tripled its volume (10).

Transfer it to a lightly floured work surface, deflate it and roll it out to form a rectangle about 2-3 cm thick (11).

With a 6-7 cm diameter pastry cutter, cut many circles (12).

Place them gradually on some squares of parchment paper to move them and fry them easily (13).

Transfer the bomboloni to a dripping pan and cover them with cling film and a tea towel. Then let them rise for about half an hour (14).

Fill a pan with seed oil to at least three fingers high (15) and put it to heat over medium-low and constant heat.

In the meantime, fill a pastry bag with the chocolate cream, fitting a metal nozzle with which to pierce and fill the bomboloni (16).

Dip a wooden stick in the hot oil; as soon as many small bubbles form around it, you can start frying (17).

Let a few bomboloni slide into the hot oil at a time and let them swell (18).

Turn them also on the other side and let them brown for a few minutes (19).

Then drain them on absorbent kitchen paper as they are ready, using a slotted spoon (20).

Fill the bomboloni by exerting a moderate pressure on the side and inserting the tip of the bag (21).

Then press and fill until you reach the initial hole (22).

Gradually place the bomboloni on a serving dish and sprinkle them with powdered sugar (23).

Serve the Italian bomboloni when they are still hot (24).