Bomboloni (Filled donuts)

To prepare the dough for the bomboloni, add the 00 flour 1, sugar 2, salt 3,

and crumbled fresh brewer’s yeast 4 to a planetary mixer fitted with a hook attachment. Run the planetary mixer at medium speed to mix the ingredients. After a couple of minutes, leave the machine running, pour in half of the amount of water 5 and continue to work the dough until the water is fully absorbed 6.

After about 3 minutes, add the remaining water and continue kneading. Five minutes after adding the last of the water 7, the dough will have a breadcrumb-like consistency. Now incorporate the eggs in the mixture 8 and continue to knead for at least 10 minutes until all the ingredients are well blended together and a compact ball has formed 9.

Then add the softened butter a little at a time 10, waiting for each piece to be absorbed before adding another. Knead the dough for at least 15 minutes to obtain a smooth, compact ball 11. Place the ball of dough in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap 12 and allow to leaven in the refrigerator for 10 hours or overnight.

After the leavening time 13, take the dough out of the fridge and let it acclimatize to room temperature for 10 minutes. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured 14 work surface and roll it out slightly with a rolling pin to form a rectangle about 1 inch (2 cm) thick 15.

Fold the left short side 16 of the rectangle to the middle and then fold the right side to the middle too 17, so the ends meet 18. Allow to rest for 5 minutes, covering with a cloth to stop the dough from drying out.

After 5 minutes, turn and roll out the dough again with the rolling pin to form a rectangle as before 19. Fold the sides to the middle again, starting with the right side this time (20-21).

Allow the resulting shape to rest for five more minutes 22, taking care to cover it with a cloth. After the second rest period, roll out the dough with a rolling pin on the work surface to a thickness of approximately ½ inch (1 cm) 23. Using 4-inch (10 cm) diameter food ring molds, cut discs out of the pastry sheet 24 (alternatively, cut out the discs using the rim of a glass),

and gradually transfer them to a tray that you have lined with a lightly floured cloth 25. Knead any leftover pastry scraps and wait about 10 minutes before rolling them out and cutting more discs. Once they are ready, cover with plastic wrap. Allow the bomboloni to rise outside the fridge in a dry place for 1½ hours. In the meantime, prepare the pastry cream. You should notice that the bomboloni have risen once the allotted time has elapsed (26-27).

The bomboloni are ready for cooking: Pour the seed oil into the saucepan, heat it and when it has reached the optimal frying temperature of 330-340°F (165°-170°C), submerge the bomboloni one or two at a time 28, depending on the capacity of the saucepan and taking care not to lower the oil temperature. Fry the bomboloni for about 4 minutes, turning them gently midway through the cooking with the aid of a slotted spoon (29-30).

When the bomboloni are golden brown, remove using the slotted spoon to drain and then place on a tray lined with paper towels 31. Allow the bomboloni to cool, then sprinkle their surface with powdered sugar to taste and fill them with pastry cream or fruit jelly using a pastry bag with a smooth, narrow nozzle 32. Your yummy bomboloni are ready to be enjoyed 33!