Raspberry Jam Bomboloni

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These Italian doughnut holes are easy to prepare in advance and fry at the last minute for breakfast, brunch, or dessert.

Raspberry Jam Bomboloni
Photo: © Quentin Bacon
Active Time:
45 mins
Total Time:
1 hr 45 mins
Yield:
32 bomboloni

Pastry chef Kate Neumann has served these bomboloni in restaurants and at home. "They are easy to prepare in advance and then fry at the last moment," she explains, "and they are also quite easy to dress up." Neumann fills the bombolini with fruit jams or chocolate ganache, then rolls them in sugar and spices like anise and cardamom as soon as they come out of the frying oil. She serves them immediately, noting, "The key to greatness, for me, is serving the doughnuts fresh and warm."

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Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon lukewarm water

  • 1 1/2 envelopes active dry yeast (3 1/4 teaspoons)

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons honey

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

  • 3 tablespoons milk

  • 6 large egg yolks

  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar, plus more for rolling

  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt

  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

  • 3 cups canola oil, for frying

  • 3/4 cup seedless raspberry preserves

  • Powdered sugar, for dusting

Directions

  1. Mix water, yeast, honey, and 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of the flour in the bowl of a stand mixer. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until foamy, about 1 hour.

  2. Return bowl to mixer, fitted with a dough hook. Add the remaining 1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons of the flour, along with milk, egg yolks, 1/3 cup of granulated sugar and salt. Mix at low speed until blended, then add butter and knead at medium speed until dough is silky but sticky, about 5 minutes; dough will not pull away from the side of the bowl. Using an oiled spatula, scrape dough into an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight (dough will not rise).

  3. Heat canola oil in a large saucepan to 360°F. Line a wire rack with paper towels and place on a large rimmed baking sheet. Fill a shallow bowl with 1/2 inch of granulated sugar. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough a scant 1/2 inch thick. Using a 1-inch round biscuit cutter, stamp out 32 rounds; do not reroll dough. Fry rounds, 8 at a time, until evenly browned, about 4 minutes. Check oil to make sure the temperature stays between 360°F and 375°F. Using a slotted spoon or spatula, transfer bomboloni to paper towel-lined rack, then immediately roll in granulated sugar, while still warm. Continue frying and rolling remaining bomboloni.

  4. Fit a pastry bag with a plain doughnut tip (or a 1/4-inch tip) and fill with the preserves (you can also use a squeeze bottle). Poke tip three-fourths of the way into each bomboloni and squeeze in preserves, pulling tip out slightly as you squeeze to fill them as much as possible. Dust bomboloni with powdered sugar and serve warm.

Suggested Pairing

Lively red sparkling wine from Italy's Piedmont region.

Originally appeared: November 2006

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