Bomboloni alla Crema Recipe Summary
Classic Italian cream-filled doughnuts with a tender, buttery fried dough and rich, silky vanilla pastry cream. Perfect for breakfast, brunch, or dessert, these bomboloni combine a crisp exterior with a pillowy interior, filled generously with homemade custard. Authentic, indulgent, and surprisingly approachable for home bakers.
Equipment
- Stand mixer with dough hook (or mixing bowl + strong hands)
- Heavy-bottomed pot or deep fryer
- Cooking thermometer
- Rolling Pin
- Round dough cutter (2.5–3 inch)
- Piping bag with round tip
- Wire rack and paper towels
Ingredients
Dough:
- Flour (bread or all-purpose)
- Warm whole milk
- Granulated sugar
- Active dry or instant yeast
- Eggs
- Unsalted butter
- Salt
- (Optional: lemon/orange zest, splash of rum)
Pastry Cream:
- Whole milk
- Egg yolks
- Granulated sugar
- Cornstarch
- Vanilla bean or vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prepare the dough: Activate yeast in warm milk with sugar. Mix with flour, eggs, butter, and salt; knead until smooth and elastic. Let rise until doubled (1.5–2 hrs).
- Roll and cut: Roll dough ½ inch thick, cut rounds, and let rise again (30–45 min).
- Make pastry cream: Heat milk with vanilla. Whisk yolks, sugar, and cornstarch; temper with milk. Cook until thick, chill fully.
- Fry bomboloni: Heat oil to 175–180°C. Fry doughnuts until golden (1–2 min each side). Drain and roll in sugar.
- Fill: Pipe chilled pastry cream into warm doughnuts. Serve immediately or store properly.
Notes
- For best texture, use bread flour or high-quality all-purpose.
- Chill pastry cream fully before filling to avoid leakage.
- Maintain oil temperature with a thermometer for perfect frying.
- Bomboloni are best eaten fresh but can be reheated in an air fryer or oven.
- Freeze unfilled dough rounds or doughnuts and pipe cream fresh after reheating.
- Try variations like chocolate cream, Nutella, or ricotta filling for creative twists.