Carnival is celebrated in many countries around the globe – the hotspot for this event is undoubtedly Europe, where carnival has a long tradition all over the continent. Each country has its own specific customs and traditions, which can vary from town to town even. In addition to that you can get food/baked goods that are connected to carnival celebrations. In Italy, for example, Bomboloni with Hazelnut Chocolate Filling are a pretty popular snack for the carnival season. The recipe at the end will give you all the instructions you need to prepare this deliciously sweet snack!
Carnival (we actually call it »Fasnet« in my hometown in the south of Germany) and deep-fried treats go together like peas and carrots ;) Everything deep-fried is great for long party nights that involve drinking… I mean alcohol and not water. Whether you get fries, chicken nuggets, or deep-fried sweets like donuts – all great to soak up that alcohol. At least that’s what people think, right? It’s probably more »wishful thinking« than reality ;) I don’t think you are able to drink more if you eat deep-fried stuff along with the alcohol, but maybe the hangover is slightly less bad the next day if your stomach is working a lot… no time for the brain to feel its own pain ;P
Unlike other places in Germany – Berlin is basically a »carnival-free zone«. Several years ago some weird carnival fans tried to establish a carnival parade in Berlin. They failed miserably (more or less). We Berliners are simply no funny people. We are grumpy. No time to do fun stuff. We can party and do demonstrations (almost every day of the week) – but in combination with costumes and funny music… nope ;P You have to go to Cologne to experience the crazy carnival season. Not Berlin. No, no, no ;)
Anyway. I did not want to »bash« anyone here, especially not Berlin and its inhabitants! It’s my favorite city in the world! I actually wanted to tell you something about this deep-fried goodness here ;)
Is there a difference between Bomboloni and other deep-fried »balls«?
Bomboloni are known throughout Italy but probably associated most with Tuscany. We have pretty much the same sweet snack here in Germany – deep-fried dough balls that come with or without a filling. In Germany, you will find them mostly filled with jam aka. »Marmelade«. In Italy, the filling is more often something like vanilla custard or even Nutella – like the ones I made here.
As mentioned before – Bomboloni and German »Pfannkuchen« or »Krapfen« are pretty much the same. The recipes might vary slightly depending on the region they are made but all very similar. In Tuscany, although, cooked potatoes are sometimes added to the dough. Not very common in German recipes… but that is actually a nice twist that keeps the deep-fried Bomboloni fresh for a longer time. You probably know that from bread made with potatoes.
The only »real« difference I noticed so far – Bomboloni are usually filled from the top and not from the side like most other deep-fried balls (aka. donuts). Adding the filling from the bottom or side makes it sometimes more difficult to spot what’s actually inside. Bomboloni show their filling with pride because it peaks out on top most of the time. Is that a »fun fact«? Dunno ;P
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
For the dough:
0.25 oz. (7g) active dry yeast
6.8 fl. oz. (200ml) milk, lukewarm
2 2/3 cups (350g) all-purpose flour
1/3 cup (65g) sugar
1 pinch of cardamom
2 medium egg yolks
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1.8 oz. (50g) butter, at room temperature
fat/oil for deep-frying
For the filling/coating:
3-4 tbsp. brown sugar
2-3 tbsp. confectioners’ sugar
5.3 oz. (150g) hazelnut chocolate spread
Für den Teig:
1Pkg. (7g) Trockenhefe
200ml lauwarme Milch
350h Mehl (Type 550)
65g Zucker
1 Prise Kardamom
2 Eigelb (M)
1/2 TL Vanille Extrakt
50g weiche Butter
Fett/Öl zum Frittieren
Für die Füllung/Coating:
3-4 EL brauner Zucker
2-3 EL Puderzucker
150g Nuss-Nougat-Aufstrich
Well… if you are not afraid of deep-frying Bomboloni are quite easy to prepare – similar to donuts. I got some tips and tricks on how to make the perfect donuts. That may help everyone that is a newbie to deep-frying ;)
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
1. Warm up the milk until hand warm (max. 104°F/40°C). Add about 1 tsp. of the sugar and the yeast and mix to combine. Let sit for about 10 minutes until the yeast has bubbled up a bit.
2. Add the flour, sugar, and cardamom to the bowl of a kitchen machine (with a dough hook) and mix to combine. Add the yeast milk, the egg yolks, and vanilla extract and knead for about 5-6 minutes – you will get a very soft and sticky dough. Add the soft butter in several batches and knead in. You might have to use a rubber spatula here and there to get the dough off the sides of the bowl. As soon as the butter has disappeared knead for another 10 minutes – the dough should have come off the sides collecting mostly around the dough hook. Transfer to a greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place for about 2 hours or until doubled in size.
3. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured workspace and roll out/stretch it until it has a thickness of about 1 inch (2,5cm). Use a round pastry cutter (2.8 inches/7cm) to cut out circles – you should get at least 9 pieces (you might have to collect the leftover dough and reuse it). Place on a board lined with baking parchment, cover with a clean kitchen towel, and let rise once again for about 30 minutes.
4. Heat up a pot or deep-fryer with fat/oil to a temperature of about 340°F (170°C) – you need enough fat/oil so the donuts can swim freely. You should keep an eye on the temperature. If the fat/oil gets too hot the donuts will brown quickly while not being done inside – if the temperature is too low the dough will soak up more fat/oil and your result will be very greasy. Add the dough pieces to the pot or deep-fryer and fry them in small batches until nicely browned from both sides – about 4-5 minutes per batch. Take out with a slotted spoon and place on a piece of kitchen paper to get rid of some excess fat/oil.
5. Mix the brown sugar with confectioners’ sugar and roll the still warm donuts in it. Set aside.
6. Fill the hazelnut chocolate spread into a piping bag with a star tip. Cut a small cross into the top of each donut and pipe some hazelnut chocolate spread into the donuts. Serve asap – donuts do not stay fresh for a very long time, unfortunately ;)
1. Die Milch erwärmen, bis sie lauwarm ist (max. 40°C/104°F). Etwa 1 Teelöffel des Zuckers und die Hefe dazugeben und verrühren – etwa 10 Minuten stehen lassen, bis die Hefe aufblubbert.
2. Mehl, Zucker und Kardamom in die Schüssel einer Küchenmaschine (mit Knethaken) geben und vermischen. Hefemilch, Eigelbe und Vanille Extrakt zugeben und etwa 5-6 Minuten lang kneten – der Teig wird sehr weich und klebrig sein. Die weiche Butter in mehreren Portionen zugeben und unterkneten. Eventuell muss man hier ab und an Teig vom Schüsselrand abkratzen, damit alles ordentlich verknetet wird. Sobald die Butter eingearbeitet wurde, weitere 10 Minuten kneten lassen – der Teig sollte sich weitestgehend von der Schüssel gelöst haben und um den Knethaken gewickelt sein. Herausholen und in eine gefettete Schüssel geben. Den Teig abdecken und an einem warmen Ort etwa 2 Stunden gehen lassen bzw. bis sich das Volumen in etwa verdoppelt hat.
3. Den gegangenen Teig auf eine leicht bemehlte Arbeitsfläche setzen und ausrollen bzw. auseinander ziehen, bis er eine Dicke von etwa 2,5cm (1 inch) hat. Mit einem runden Teigausstecher (7cm/2,8 inches) 9 Kreise ausstechen – eventuell muss man hier Teigreste sammeln und daraus neu ausstechen. Die Teigkreise auf ein Brett mit Backpapier setzen, mit einem Küchentuch abdecken und noch einmal etwa 30 Minuten gehen lassen.
4. Einen Topf oder eine Fritteuse mit Fett/Öl auf eine Temperatur von etwa 170°C (340°F) erhitzen – es sollte genug Fett/Öl vorhanden sein, damit die Donuts frei schwimmen können. Die Temperatur ständig im Auge behalten. Wenn das Fett/Öl zu heiß ist, werden die Donuts schnell dunkel und sind innen dann nicht durchgebacken. Ist die Temperatur zu niedrig, saugt sich der Teig mit Fett/Öl voll und führt zu einem fettigen Ergebnis. Die Donuts in mehreren Durchgängen frittieren (3-4 pro Durchgang), bis sie schön gebräunt sind – dauert jeweils etwa 4-5 Minuten. Die Donuts mit einer Schaumkelle herausholen und auf einem Stück Küchenpapier abtropfen lassen.
5. Braunen Zucker mit Puderzucker vermischen und die noch warmen Donuts darin wälzen. Zur Seite stellen.
6. Die Nuss-Nougat-Creme in einen Spritzbeutel mit Sterntülle einfüllen. Mit einem scharfen Messer ein kleines Kreuz in die Oberseite der Donuts einschneiden und dort dann mit der Creme befüllen. Die Donuts sollten so schnell wie möglich serviert werden – leider sind die kleinen Dinger nur ein paar Stunden wirklich “frisch” und dann besonders lecker ;)
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
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Donuts with Hazelnut Chocolate Filling (Bomboloni)
- Prep Time: 00:30
- Cook Time: 00:20
- Total Time: 03:30
- Yield: 9 1x
- Category: Donuts
- Cuisine: Italy
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
The perfect sweet snack for all donut lovers out there: Italian Bomboloni with Hazelnut Chocolate Filling (Nutella). So good!
Ingredients
For the dough:
0.25 oz. (7g) active dry yeast
6.8 fl. oz. (200ml) milk, lukewarm
2 2/3 cups (350g) all-purpose flour
1/3 cup (65g) sugar
1 pinch of cardamom
2 medium egg yolks
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1.8 oz. (50g) butter, at room temperature
fat/oil for deep-frying
For the filling/coating:
3-4 tbsp. brown sugar
2-3 tbsp. confectioners’ sugar
5.3 oz. (150g) hazelnut chocolate spread
Instructions
1. Warm up the milk until hand warm (max. 104°F/40°C). Add about 1 tsp. of the sugar and the yeast and mix to combine. Let sit for about 10 minutes until the yeast has bubbled up a bit.
2. Add the flour, sugar, and cardamom to the bowl of a kitchen machine (with a dough hook) and mix to combine. Add the yeast milk, the egg yolks, and vanilla extract and knead for about 5-6 minutes – you will get a very soft and sticky dough. Add the soft butter in several batches and knead in. You might have to use a rubber spatula here and there to get the dough off the sides of the bowl. As soon as the butter has disappeared knead for another 10 minutes – the dough should have come off the sides collecting mostly around the dough hook. Transfer to a greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place for about 2 hours or until doubled in size.
3. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured workspace and roll out/stretch it until it has a thickness of about 1 inch (2,5cm). Use a round pastry cutter (2.8 inches/7cm) to cut out circles – you should get at least 9 pieces (you might have to collect the leftover dough and reuse it). Place on a board lined with baking parchment, cover with a clean kitchen towel, and let rise once again for about 30 minutes.
4. Heat up a pot or deep-fryer with fat/oil to a temperature of about 340°F (170°C) – you need enough fat/oil so the donuts can swim freely. You should keep an eye on the temperature. If the fat/oil gets too hot the donuts will brown quickly while not being done inside – if the temperature is too low the dough will soak up more fat/oil and your result will be very greasy. Add the dough pieces to the pot or deep-fryer and fry them in small batches until nicely browned from both sides – about 4-5 minutes per batch. Take out with a slotted spoon and place on a piece of kitchen paper to get rid of some excess fat/oil.
5. Mix the brown sugar with confectioners’ sugar and roll the still warm donuts in it. Set aside.
6. Fill the hazelnut chocolate spread into a piping bag with a star tip. Cut a small cross into the top of each donut and pipe some hazelnut chocolate spread into the donuts. Serve asap – donuts do not stay fresh for a very long time, unfortunately ;)
Notes
Enjoy frying!
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