Savory Fried Bombs
- Vegetarian
- Difficulty: Average
- Prep time: 1 h 20 min
- Cook time: 40 min
- Makes: 24 pieces
- Cost: Average
- Note + the time for dough rising and cream cooling
PRESENTATION
Bombe fritte salate—I gotta say—are seriously a treat from the Veneto region. You know, they're a savory spin on those sweet bomboloni that pop up at Italian breakfasts. Thing is, instead of sweet fillings like cream or jam, these bad boys go all-in on savory. And listen, the dough goes through this slow leavening process that makes each bite so so tender and moist. Really good stuff.
Now, the filling? That's where it gets interesting. It’s a rich Mornay sauce with béchamel, extra cream, and egg yolks. And look, topped with Asiago cheese, it adds a tangy kick. Super tasty. These treats are creamy on the inside and golden on the outside. People in Veneto love making them during Carnival, but they're perfect any time you want something unique. Some families even mix in their favorite regional cheeses or chopped herbs—pretty much giving their own twist to the ricetta bombe salate.
When hosting a party or just chilling with friends, these bombe salate ripiene are a fantastic antipasto sfizioso. You know, they're versatile. You can serve them hot and crispy right from the fryer or let them cool, and they still taste amazing. Seriously good. The soft dough paired with the cheesy, savory filling means they disappear fast at any gathering. In Veneto, it’s common to see these mixed with other frittelle salate or salty bites, especially during celebrations or pre-dinner.
For a lighter version, there’s bombe salate al forno, which are baked instead of fried. To be honest, many say the classic fried version is way way better. Whether you’re sticking to tradition or adding your own twist, these dough bombs have a knack for showing up and making everything more fun. That cheesy filling? It's a little piece of joy, turning any occasion into a celebration with their unique blend of textures and flavors. And the sauce? Pretty simple. Can't go wrong.
You might also like:
INGREDIENTS
- Ingredients for the Starter
- Manitoba flour 1 cup (125 g)
- Water ⅓ cup (75 ml) - (at room temperature)
- Brewer's yeast ¼ tsp (1 g)
- For the Dough of 24 Bombs
- Manitoba flour 4 cups (500 g)
- Brewer's yeast 1 tsp (3 g)
- Instant yeast for salted preparations 0.8 tsp (4 g)
- Eggs 4 - (medium)
- Butter 7 tbsp (100 g) - (softened)
- Water ½ cup (120 ml) - (at room temperature)
- Fine salt 2.1 tsp (12 g)
- Malt 1 tsp
- For the Mornay Sauce
- Whole milk 2.1 cups (500 ml)
- Fresh liquid cream 7.1 tbsp (35 ml)
- Type 00 flour 0.67 cup (80 g)
- Butter 3 ½ tbsp (50 g)
- Egg yolks 2
- Asiago cheese 2.8 oz (80 g) - aged (for grating)
- Fine salt 1 pinch
- For Frying
- Peanut seed oil 3.1 cups (750 ml)
How to prepare Savory Fried Bombs
To prepare the fried bombs, start with the starter: in a bowl, pour the sifted Manitoba flour, the dried brewer's yeast, and the water at room temperature 1. You can also use fresh brewer's yeast: in this case, the dose is 3 g. Work the mixture with your hands 2 and form a ball 3 that you can leave to rise in the oven turned off with the light on for 2 hours, covered with plastic wrap.
After two hours, the starter will have doubled in volume 4, then pour it into the bowl of a stand mixer 5 (or in a bowl if kneading by hand) equipped with a paddle and add the eggs 6.
Pour the malt (or sugar) 7, then gradually the sifted flour 8, the dried brewer's yeast 9, and the baking powder for savory preparations. As for the brewer's yeast, if you're using fresh yeast, the dose is 9 g. Turn on the stand mixer.
Pour the room temperature water 10 and lastly the salt, then continue working the ingredients with the paddle; when the dough is well blended, remove the paddle and attach the dough hook. Then knead for about 15 minutes, then add the softened butter in pieces gradually, waiting for the first piece to be absorbed before proceeding with the next 11. Once you've incorporated all the butter, the dough will be smooth and homogeneous, and you can stop the stand mixer. Turn the dough out onto the work surface and form a ball, then lightly butter a bowl and place the dough inside 12: cover with plastic wrap and let rise in the oven turned off with the light on for 2 hours (or covered with a wool blanket).
While the dough is rising, prepare the Mornay sauce: grate the aged Asiago cheese, then in a saucepan, melt the butter over low heat, then remove it from the heat to add the flour gradually, stirring with a whisk to avoid lumps 13. Place the saucepan back on the heat and toast the flour for a few moments, and when it turns golden, add the milk at room temperature or slightly warmed 14. Stir continuously, season with salt, and flavor with a pinch of nutmeg. Then once it reaches a boil, remove from heat and add the grated Asiago cheese 15.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks with the fresh liquid cream 16, then add them to the béchamel 17 and mix to combine the ingredients 18 (if necessary, you can bring the sauce back to the heat to thicken it further). Once ready, pour the sauce into a low and wide dish and cover with cling film in contact to let it cool at room temperature, then place it in the refrigerator.
After the necessary time, take the dough and roll it out on a lightly floured work surface into a rectangle about 1 inch thick 19. With a 2.5-inch diameter round cutter, cut out the disks 20; you can re-knead the scraps and let the dough rise for about 30 minutes before making more shapes: as you make the disks, place them on a tray lined with parchment paper 21: with these doses, you will get 24 disks. Let them rise for about half an hour in the oven turned off with the light on.
Then cut a square of parchment paper around each disk 22 and fry a few disks at a time in plenty of peanut oil 23, brought to a temperature of 350-360°F (you can measure it with a kitchen thermometer). Once the disks are placed in the oil, remove the parchment paper with kitchen tongs 24
and occasionally turn the bombs to brown and puff them uniformly. When they are golden, drain them with a slotted spoon 25 and place them on a tray lined with paper towels. While the bombs cool slightly, place the Mornay sauce in a pastry bag with a syringe nozzle 26, then fill each savory fried bomb with the sauce 27 and serve them still warm or slightly reheated in the oven!