Bomboloni alla Crema

Bomboloni are fried Italian doughnuts that are filled with pastry cream. Just imagine biting into a warm, fluffy doughnut with a sugary crust and finding a delicious and silky cream inside.  The dough is usually flavored with vanilla and either orange or lemon zest.  The traditional filling is vanilla pastry cream, but a fruit jelly or even Nutella may be used.  Bomboloni are filled from the top rather than the side and a small mound of pastry cream tops the centers.

Ingredients:

Bomboloni

• 1 cup warm milk, 105 – 115 degrees F.
• 3-1/2 tablespoons sugar, divided
• 1 packet (1/4 ounce) rapid-rise yeast
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups bread flour
• Grated zest of 1 orange
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon Fiori di Sicilia (optional)
• 4 tablespoons butter, cut into cubes
• Vegetable oil for frying
• 1 cup of sugar for rolling doughnuts before serving

Pastry Cream

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 2 cups half-and-half
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Pastry Cream

1. Combine the sugar and cornstarch in a medium saucepan.
2. Whisk in the half-and-half and egg yolks.
3. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil, whisking constantly.
4. When the mixture thickens, remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
5. Set aside for 10-15 minutes to cool slightly before piping into the doughnuts.

Bomboloni

1. In a small bowl, combine the warm milk, 1/2 tablespoon of sugar, and yeast.
2. Stir to combine.  Set aside for 5-10 minutes until the mixture begins to bubble.
3. In a large bowl, combine both flours, the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar, orange zest, and salt.
4. In another small bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla extract, and optional Fiori di Sicilia.
5. Use a pastry blender to cut the butter cubes into the flour mixture, until the butter is well combined with the flour.  Stir in the yeast mixture and then the egg mixture. Continue stirring until a soft dough is formed.  Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic,  2-3 minutes.  Form the dough into a smooth ball and transfer to a greased bowl.  Cover with a kitchen towel and set aside to rise in a warm place for about 1-1/2 hours.  The dough should double in volume.
6. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
7. Punch down the risen dough in the bowl and transfer to a floured surface.
8. Roll the dough out to a thickness of about 1/2-inch. Use a 2- to 3-inch round biscuit cutter to cut out rounds of dough; keeping the cuts as close together as possible.  Transfer the dough rounds to the parchment lined baking sheets, spacing them about 2-inches apart. The dough scraps can be combined and rerolled until all the doughnuts have been cut out.  Cover with a kitchen towel and set aside to rise in a warm place for about 1-1/2 hours.  The rounds should look puffy and full of air.
9. Heat the vegetable oil in a deep fryer to 350 degrees F.
10. Put 1 cup of sugar in a small bowl nearby.
11. When the oil is hot, fry about 4 doughnuts at a time.  Fry until golden brown on both sides, turning them over a few times in the hot oil with a skimmer or slotted spoon, about 4 to 5 minutes total per batch.  Remove the fried doughnuts one at a time and transfer to a paper towel-lined tray.   While the doughnuts are still warm roll each one in the sugar in the bowl until evenly coated.
12. Put the pastry cream in a large pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch plain round tip.
13. While the doughnuts are still warm, use a small knife to make a small hole in the top center of each doughnut.  Insert the pastry tip into the hole and pipe some of the cream into each doughnut. Fill until there is a small mound of cream on top.
14. Bomboloni are best served while still warm