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November 21, 2010

Nutella Trilogy – Part I: Bomboloni alla Nutella (Nutella-filled Donuts)



A couple of weeks ago I had a late night conversation with two crazy (read = amazingly crazy) bloggers, Lora (Cake Duchess) and Ethan (Tastes Better with Friends). The topic of conversation, as some of you know, was Nutella. Now, I’m Italian and I couldn’t care less for peanut butter, marshmallows or other American treats. But, please, don’t you ever ever ever mention Nutella to me…above all not at night! The craving kicks in and there is nothing I can do about it. Nothing but to prepare a master plan like this: a Nutella Trilogy.



What is the Nutella Trilogy? Well, easily enough it’s going to be a series of three recipes featuring Nutella. I told you! When I get cravings I’m not a normal person anymore. Well, I’m a weirdo in my “normal” days…go figure what happens when I have cravings! One Nutella treat was not going to be enough! I wanted to make my favorite three Nutella desserts of all times.

I don’t think there are any words necessary to be added. And my hands are busy holding a bombolone and trying not to spill Nutella on my laptop...but wait…no…I do have a few notes to add about this recipe….man, I need to put the bombolone down and Wally is going to try to steal it…see what I do for you guys?!?



NOTES: You might remember that about a month ago I overcome my fear of frying with the October Daring Bakers Challenge. At that time I tried the cake donuts but I promised myself to try the filled donuts. The Nutella craving was the right excuse! I have to say I was very skeptical about this recipe. The bomboloni I saw around during the challenge did not look like the bomboloni we eat in Italy. I did, nevertheless use the same recipe. I have to admit they turn out great (Wally, get off my plate!) but, again, they are not the bomboloni I know. So now I have another mission: try an Italian recipe!

Also, I did use the recipe provided for the DB challenge but I did the filling part in the Italian way: after cutting out the dough disks I spooned some Nutella on half of them and covered them with the other half of the disks. I then let the filled dough sit for another hour before proceeding to fry. I like this system better but it also means, of course, that you get half the bomboloni that the recipe says. Still…totally worth it!



Final note: with this recipe I participate for the first time to the Sugar High Fridays! Yuhuuuu. I was so excited to hear that this month theme chose by Souffle’ Days was a “dessert with a hidden surprise”. I could not ask for a better theme for my first participation. Don’t forget to go and check out the other amazing desserts that will be presented on the last Friday of the month!

Nutella Bomboloni
Ingredients
Yields about 32 bomboloni

1/3 cup + 1 tbsp lukewarm water
10 gr (3 ¼ tsp) active dry yeast
22.5 ml
(1 ½ tbsp) honey
420 gr (3 cups or 14 ¾ oz)
all purpose flour
45 ml (3 tbsp)
milk
6
large egg yolks
75 gr (1/3 cup or 2 2/3 oz) white sugar
6 gr (1 tsp) Kosher salt (I used normal salt)
42 gr (3 tbsp or 1.5 oz) unsalted butter

Canola Oil or any other flavorless oil used for frying
Nutella
Confectioners sugar to sprinkle

In the bowl of a standing electric mixer, mix the water, yeast, honey and 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (160 gm) of the flour. (Alternatively, whisk the ingredients by hand.) Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until foamy, about 1 hour.

Return the bowl to the mixer, fitted with a dough hook. Add the remaining 1 ¾ cups plus 2 tablespoons (260 gm) of flour, along with the milk, egg yolks, 1/3 cup of granulated sugar and the salt. Mix at low speed until blended, then add the butter and knead at medium speed until silky but sticky, about 5 minutes; the dough will not pull away from the side of the bowl.


Using an oiled spatula, scrape the dough into an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.

In a large saucepan, heat the canola oil to 360°F/180°C.

Line a rack with paper towels.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough a scant 1/2 inch (12 mm) thick.

Using a 2-inch (50 mm) round biscuit cutter, stamp out rounds. Spoon some Nutella (don’t put too much!) on half of the rounds and cover them with the other half closing them with wet finger.

Fry the rounds, 4 to 5 at a time, until they are browned, about 4 minutes (mine only took about a minute each – try to go more by sight).

Be sure to keep the oil between 360°F and 375°F 180°C and 190°C.

BIG NOTE: for me this temperature was way too high! The first couple of bomboloni got burnt without cooking inside so I let the oil cool down to 340-360 max before frying the others.

Drain the bomboloni on paper towels.

Filling Directions if you decide to follow the original method:

Fit a pastry bag with a plain donut tip (or a 1/4-inch (6 mm) tip) and fill with the Nutella (you can also use a squeeze bottle). Poke the tip three-fourths of the way into the bomboloni and squeeze in the Nutella, pulling the tip out slightly as you squeeze to fill them as much as possible. Serve warm.

Have a sweet day!

49 comments:

  1. Sara
    those Bomboloni look delicious....the nutella is quite a wonderful surprise inside those beauties!!
    I can't wait to see the rest of the trilogy!! I'm certainly glad you got over your fear of frying.

    Dennis

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  2. These remind me of churros but with the chocolate inside, genius!!

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  3. @The Chef: I'm so happy I got over my fear too. I'm not much into fried stuff but all the Italian Carneval treats are fried and now I will get to try them :)
    @Natalie: they do indeed taste like churros...and not quite like the Italian bomboloni....but I love churros so I love these ones too :)

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  4. ::sigh:: I swore I wouldn't come look at these because I knew I'd have to make them. They look amazing. I'm in love with bomboloni and churros so I know I'm in trouble. :(

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  5. Oh dear heavens, those look too good to be true. I adore Nutella, but you really can't not adore Nutella. And then to put it inside a fried donut-type thingy??? That's just too good to be true!

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  6. OMG! Nutella... I love. And I have a very soft spot for doughnuts... This is heaven. I look forward to this nutella trilogy. :)

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  7. Love these Sara! We love Nutella here at our house too! I ate my weight in Nutella while living in Madrid and Barcelona! Super cool recipe... and your photos are stunning! Great job!

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  8. Mio Dio Sara! I am so happy that our combined craziness over Nutella inspired this!! Wow! I am in awe. Bomboloni sono fantastici e questi sono stupendi. I am ready for Nutella part deux.

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  9. I'm flattered that I was part of this inspiration:) Thank you for introducing me to bomboloni's, you're evil!

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  10. These are exactly like the bombe that they make in my home town in Italy...in Terracina.They come in vanilla and nutella... They are the local favourite there!! Such good memories...these look amazing:) yum yum

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  11. Can I admit we were terrible in terms of self control today in my home? Wally ate 4 bomboloni! 4, no kidding! I resisted temptation the first hour...or so I thought....I had one...followed very soon by another :)
    @Lora and @Ethan: thanks for the great inspiration (and the bad cravings....I do put bad things into good use :))
    Part II of the trilogy will come next Saturday :)
    @Liana: you are from Terracina? Soooo cool. I'm from Verona so I'm more used to krapfen...they have a different dough but I have to admit I love these too!

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  12. I'm so thankful for your craving...it inspired a fantastic recipe! These look delicious :)

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  13. Wow, these look so delicious. I have a major sweet tooth right now - my mouth is watering. Yum Nutella!

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  14. My husband was salivating over these!! They really do look delicious - nutella is such a creative filling for donuts! You might get him to convince me to make these at home - right now I haven't gotten over my fear of frying :)

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  15. Ehehehe....awesome post. These look incredible. I soooo want one.

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  16. delicious with nutella look soft yummy

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  17. Why are you doing this to me! I love them, you are making me want to go make some right now! I think this would be better than pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving!

    If I don't get a chance later; wishing you A Very Happy Thanksgiving!
    -Gina-

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  18. Is nutella american? Now I'm curious to find out.

    These donuts...why, oh why, .... feed me!

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  19. Ahhh, nutella, nutella, nutella...I could eat you every day, but then I wouldn't fit in my pants anymore:) This recipe sounds so delicious, great job!

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  20. Now you guys know who I felt...10 days thinking about nutella and this bomboloni....I had to make them as soon as I had the time!
    @Damaris: no, nutella is not American! Nutella is Italian! Totally Italian!

    How do I still fit in my pants? The hubby eta them all before I could have the temptation to have the third :(

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  21. Sara... I'm away for a weekend and come back to these!! Oh my goodness.. If I didn't have a three tiered wedding cake to make before Wednesday and Thanksgiving desserts I would be whipping these up tomorrow! I can't get over how delicious these look..

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  22. Heavenly! They look utterly addictive! I've been using a healthy (I mean unhealthy) dose of nutella lately!

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  23. OH MY WORD those look beyond incredible! Do you know how badly I want to eat those and can't?! I'm allergic to hazelnuts and can't eat Nutella! Mmmm if I could eat a dozen I seriously would.

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  24. Sara...I have a proposition for you. I will send you fudge or truffles or whatever you want if you send me a box of these. Please?

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  25. Omg. I'm wtih baking Barrister lol :D I want those so bad!

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  26. Guys, they are gone! Seriously! Wally and I were bad bad boys and ate them all...so much for behaving well the week before the big Thanksgiving potluck

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  27. you had me at nutella ;)

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  28. Those look sinfully delicious! Oh, how I love Nutella.

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  29. I was looking at the Foodbuzz 9 tonight, and I had to click on your Bomboloni.
    And now I am so glad I found your blog. I went way back to the beginning, and read the whole thing.
    I am also taking photography course, hoping to hone my skills:) Alas, I have only one window in the apartment that has light, and that's where the couch lives, so I shoot at the patio, underneath an eave.
    Your photos are fantastic and I am sure that you will discover the best places in your new home.
    Looking forward to reading more new installments:)

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  30. I LOVE peanut butter!!! It's been a part of my life for as long as I can remember, and I get the cravings like you just described for Nutella. However!!!! About 2 weeks ago I purchased my first jar of Nutella. I had seen some recipe in all my blog reading and thought, "Hmmm... that sounds good". Well, OMG!!!! Good doesn't describe it!!! We've been out of town and then dealing with a sick Liv for about a week and my hands are shaking to get back into the kitchen and bake. Thanksgiving guests are arriving today and I'm hoping to have a plethora of goodies waiting for their arrival.
    Beautiful Sara!! I haven't worked my way through the frying fear as you did, but these look awesome. I'm eagerly awaiting the other!!

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  31. Oh. My. Gosh. Nutella DOUGHNUTS. What else is there to say here?!

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  32. Goodness gracious! I love nutella anywhere, on anything, anytime of day. I want one of these now!

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  33. Now those are da bomb ;) Gorgeous photos! Bomboloni sounds much more exciting than doughnuts - and with nutella centers - too good to resist!

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  34. Could you please come over to my house and make these for me? Wow! I'm drooling. Donuts and nutella...I don't know if a sweet concoction could get any better. Thank you for sharing. Continue to enjoy great food and good company!

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  35. These sound amazing. I also have a crazy love of nutella :) I'm so glad the DB challenge last month helped with my oil fear too, now I want to make these! (I made the plain old donuts with holes)

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  36. OMG that looks wonderful. I start to drool looking at the pics.

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  37. Oh man! That looks like heaven to me. Thanks for sharing.

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  38. all im saying is that ive bookmarked this recipe. It looks absolutely gorgeous and all i know now is that I want one NOW. you did a beautiful job!

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  39. wow! this is just wow! can you please send some my way:)

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  40. These look incredible! Currently I am so into fried little goodies (although not good for the waistline - more time on the treadmill is needed) My husband adores nutella and would love to have me make these. I have archived this recipe. Happy Thanksgiving !!!

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  41. WAHHHH! Now I want nutella. But more, I want your bomboloni! Thanks Sara, now what am I to do. I have no nutella! waaah. love. this. so. much.

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  42. These doughnuts look amazing!! I am just about to embark on a doughnut craze this week. Love seeing yours and they look delicious. BTW, I think I was a silent witness to your conversation with Ethan and Lora:)

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  43. Heavenly are these bomboloni :) I just made a nutella dessert the other day, love that stuff :)

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  44. Sara - those look amazing! I'm with you - love Nutella and really could care less about peanut butter... Kate @kateiscooking

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  45. Nutella + donuts! What could be better? <3

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