Craving bomboloni without the frying? These round, oven-baked Italian doughnuts are soft, light and golden, made with a simple yeasted dough of 00 and Manitoba flour. A slow rise, a quick bake and a snowy dusting of powdered sugar are all it takes.
Info
- Difficulty: Easy
- Total time: 4 hours 40 minutes
- Servings: 6 to 8 bomboloni
Ingredients
- 00 flour: 3.5 oz (approx. ¾ cup + 1 tbsp) (100 g)
- Manitoba flour (strong bread flour): 1.8 oz (approx. ⅓ cup + 1 tbsp) (50 g)
- Granulated sugar: 1.8 oz (approx. ¼ cup) (50 g)
- Lukewarm water: 1.7 fl oz (approx. 3 tbsp + 1 tsp) (50 ml)
- Softened butter: 1 oz (2 tbsp) (30 g)
- Egg: 1
- Fresh yeast: 0.14 oz (approx. 1 tsp, crumbled) (4 g)
- Powdered (confectioners’) sugar: to taste
Step-by-Step Instructions
- In a bowl, mix two tablespoons of the two flours with the fresh yeast, dissolved beforehand in the lukewarm water.
- Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 45 minutes.
- Once risen, mix the starter with the softened butter, the whole egg, the remaining flours and the sugar, and knead vigorously for at least 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and homogeneous.
- Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for at least 2 hours inside the switched-off oven.
- Gently divide the dough into 6 to 8 balls of equal size.
- Place them on a sheet of parchment paper on a baking tray.
- Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rest for 1 hour.
- Bake in a preheated fan oven at 180°C (350°F) for about 20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and dust with powdered sugar, if you like.
... and now, let's enjoy!
Tips
A smooth, elastic dough is the secret to a fluffy crumb, so knead for the full 10 minutes. Watch the baking time: about 20 minutes is enough, and longer will dry them out. If you only have dry yeast, use about one third of the weight of fresh yeast (here about 1.3 g, a little under ½ teaspoon).
Additional Info
Bomboloni are round Italian yeasted doughnuts with no hole, usually fried and filled, eaten above all for breakfast at the local bar. According to the most common explanation, the name comes from “bomba” (bomb), for their round, puffed-up shape. The baked version uses the same dough but goes into the oven instead of the fryer, which makes it lighter.
Substitutions & Variations
After baking, you can fill them with jam, pastry cream or hazelnut cream using a piping bag with a nozzle. Instead of powdered sugar, roll them in granulated sugar, or add a little lemon or orange zest to the dough. The same dough can also be fried.
Serving Suggestions
Serve them lukewarm and on the day they are made, dusting the powdered sugar just before serving. They are ideal for breakfast or an afternoon snack, with a cappuccino or a caffè latte.
