Bomboloni Cream Donuts (Print Version)

Soft Italian donuts filled with rich vanilla pastry cream and dusted with sugar. Perfect for breakfast or dessert.

# What You Need:

→ For the Dough

01 - 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1/4 cup granulated sugar
03 - 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
04 - 1/2 tsp salt
05 - 3/4 cup whole milk, lukewarm
06 - 2 large eggs, room temperature
07 - 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
08 - 1 tsp vanilla extract

→ For Frying and Coating

09 - Vegetable oil for frying
10 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar for dusting

→ For the Pastry Cream

11 - 2 cups whole milk
12 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar
13 - 1/4 cup cornstarch
14 - 4 large egg yolks
15 - 1 tsp vanilla extract
16 - 2 tbsp unsalted butter

# How To Make It:

01 - In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. Add warm milk, eggs, vanilla, and softened butter. Mix to form a soft dough. Knead for 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Place in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled in size (about 1–1.5 hours).
02 - Punch down the risen dough and roll out to 3/4-inch thickness on a floured surface. Cut out rounds using a 3-inch round cutter. Place rounds on parchment-lined trays, cover loosely, and rise for another 30–45 minutes.
03 - In a saucepan, heat milk until steaming (not boiling). In a bowl, whisk egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch until pale and smooth. Slowly pour hot milk into the yolk mixture, whisking continuously. Return mixture to saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking, until thickened (about 2–3 minutes). Remove from heat, whisk in vanilla and butter until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap (touching the surface) and chill until ready to use.
04 - Heat oil in a large, heavy pot to 350°F. Fry 2–3 donuts at a time, 2–3 minutes per side, until golden brown. Transfer to paper towels. While warm, roll in granulated sugar to coat.
05 - Once cooled, poke a hole in the side of each donut with a small knife or piping tip. Fill a piping bag with chilled pastry cream and pipe generously into each donut.

# Handy Tips:

01 -
  • The moment you bite through that sugar crust into cool cream is something youll want to repeat forever
  • These donuts transform a lazy weekend morning into something that feels like an Italian holiday
  • Friends will literally hover around the kitchen waiting for them to come out of the oil
02 -
  • Let your cream cool completely before filling or the sugar coating on your donuts will melt into a sticky mess
  • Oil temperature matters too much to guess, cold donuts will be greasy and hot oil burns them before the inside cooks
  • These are best eaten within hours, but I wont judge if you hide one for midnight snacking
03 -
  • Use a star tip for piping if you want those pretty cream swirls when someone bites into the donut
  • Keep a bowl of ice water nearby when making the pastry cream in case you need to quickly stop the cooking
  • The dough is ready to rise when it passes the windowpane test, stretch a small piece and if you can see light through it without tearing, you are done kneading

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