These coffee bombolinis are the perfect BOMB dessert you need to make this New Years’ Eve. These are Italian doughnuts filled with a light and fluffy coffee whipped cream. The dough comes together in minutes and does not require a mixer if you don’t have one. Since making it is a long process, I recommend dividing it into two days. You can make them as a thanksgiving, Christmas or NYE dessert. No matter when you decide to make them, I promise it’s going to leave you and your friends & family drooling over them!
Ingredients you’ll need:
- Warm Milk: You will need warm whole (full-fat) milk. Warm temperatures are also required to activate the yeast. Temperatures required are between 110ºF to 115ºF ideally. Anything hotter than this can kill your yeast. You will need 3/4th cup (180ml) warm milk to make this recipe.
- Yeast: Once the yeast is added, you should wait for it to be activated before proceeding. In case of instant yeast, it will activate immediately and you will have a foamy & bubbly mixture. However if using active dry yeast, you will need to let the mixture rest for around 15-20 minutes before the yeast is active.
- Granulated Sugar: A small amount of sugar is added to the dough. This not only helps to add sweetness but also acts as food for the yeast which helps to activate it and become foamy & bubbly.
- Egg and Egg Yolk: Use large eggs and bring them to room temperature before mixing in. Eggs strengthen the binding of your dough and also add moisture. Having your eggs at room temperature makes it easier to incorporate them and allow them to mix thoroughly in your dough. A good way of doing this is by letting them sit in a bowl filled with room temperature water for around 10 minutes or until they come down to room temperature.
- Unsalted Butter: You will need a total of half cup melted butter to make the dough. I also prefer to use unsalted butter because salted butters have varying amounts of salt content in them and it is always a good idea to add it on your own and avoid your dishes from being too salty.
- All-purpose flour: I highly recommend weighing all your ingredients using a kitchen scale for accurate recipe results. If you’re using cups, don’t scoop your cup into the flour. Spoon the flour into your cup and level it off with the back of a knife.
- Espresso: I use an instant espresso powder, because it’s so convenient and easy to use.
- Heavy whipping cream: Using cold whipping cream makes it easier to whip up peaks. You want to whip it until you achieve stiff peaks.
FAQ
You can use either active dry or instant yeast (also known as quick-rise yeast) to make these bombolinis. If you’re using instant yeast, it should get activated almost instantly once you add it in. However, if you’re using active dry yeast, you need to let it rest for 15-20 minutes before the yeast is activated.
Once your yeast is activated it will become foamy and you will notice some bubbles forming on the surface of your mixture. This process might take 15-20 minutes if you’re using active-dry yeast. You should observe it almost immediately in the case of instant or quick-rise yeast.
The first rise is known as bulk fermentation and the second one is known as proofing. Bulk fermenting is the process of allowing the dough to double in size in a large bowl while proofing is allowing the shaped dough to become puffy just before frying. At a minimum, both steps require an hour to two in a warm place.
You can do any one of the rising steps overnight by letting the dough chill in the refrigerator for 8-16 hours. Keeping your dough in the refrigerator slows down the rise, however exceeding 16 hours of proofing time will cause it to be over proofed. There is no time limit to bulk ferment your dough however I don’t recommend exceeding 24 hours. I don’t recommend proofing for more than 16 hours in the refrigerator. The next morning, remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow it to rise on the counter for 1-2 hours before frying. If bulk fermenting or proofing for longer durations or overnight, I recommend doing it in the refrigerator and make sure to cover it with a plastic wrap so the dough doesn’t dry out.
If you don’t have a stand mixer or a hand mixer fitted with dough attachments, you can knead the dough by hand. Firstly start with stirring your mixture with a spatula until it is crumbly in texture and has started to come together. At this point, flour your work surface and hands. Transfer the dough on the surface. Start by bringing all the bits of the dough together until they stick and you form a ball. If it’s too sticky, now is the time to add in 1-2 tablespoons of flour more. Once your dough has come together, set a timer of 10 minutes and start kneading. To knead, lift a part of the dough and bring it to the center. Then press your palm on the center and push it outwards. Start slow till you gain some momentum. Continue this for around 10 minutes.
To check if your dough is kneaded properly, poke a finger in your dough. If the dent formed springs right out then your dough is done and you can proceed with bulk fermentation.
To freeze before frying: the dough should be frozen after the first rise (once it is shaped up with the filling). Place into a pan and cover well, then place in freezer. When you are ready to fry, let the dough thaw in the fridge — preferably overnight, then put in a warm spot for 30 minutes to 1 hour before frying to activate the second rise. Fry doughnuts as directed.
To freeze after frying: I don’t recommend storing these for too long. They are best eaten the day they are fried.
Pro tip: If freezing these bombolinis, be sure to add a date so you don’t forget! You can freeze them upto 3 months.
There are a few things you can substitute in this recipe:
Milk: If you’re in a pinch, you can replace this with equal quantities of buttermilk.
Freshly brewed Espresso: You can substitute this with equal amounts of coffee.
Troubleshooting Bombolini Dough:
- My yeast is not getting activated: If your yeast is not getting activated it maybe because either it is too old or your milk is not at the right temperature. Once opened, yeast packets last in the refrigerator for upto 4 months or in the freezer for upto 6 months. If your yeast is too old or your milk is too hot it will cause your yeast to die. I recommend starting over with a fresh packet of yeast if this happens. If your milk is too cold, your yeast will still not get activated properly. Ideal temperature for yeast activation is between 105ºF-115ºF. Anything more than 120ºF starts killing your yeast.
- I forgot to add eggs in my dough: If you remembered to add eggs to the dough while it is bulk fermenting or after completely fermented, you’re definitely in luck. You can add in the eggs at any point before shaping the dough. Allow it to ferment for 1-2 hours until doubled after adding in the eggs. After shaping the dough there is not much scope of adding in the eggs, you can still fry the dough if you want. It will definitely be a lot tougher.
- My dough did not double during fermentation: This is possible if either your yeast was not properly activated or if you did not knead your dough properly. Your yeast should be bubbly and foamy and your dough should bounce back when you poke a finger in it. Over kneading your dough can also cause the gluten strands to break and not rise properly.
- My bombolinis did not puff during proofing: A major reason of this happening is because you did not ferment or proof the dough in the correct environment. The ideal temperature to proof the dough is 85ºF – 95ºF with 70 – 75% humidity.
- My doughnut is already puffed before proofing: If your donut is already puffed up and tightly fitting your pan, then I suggest you immediately put it in the oven. If you still proof it at this point, it will be over proofed.
- My doughnuts came out to be dry: Adding too much flour or over frying your doughnut can cause it to turn out dry and tough. Temperatures also play an important role here. A high oil temperature can dry out the donut if fried for the recommended time. A low temperature will require an increased frying time, which can also dry out the dough. I highly recommend using a thermometer for reference here.
Tips to make the best bombolinis:
This recipe is extremely delicious and very straightforward to make. However, if you want it to turn out absolutely perfect, here are some tips that you should keep in mind!
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Do not overheat your milk: You want to measure your milk in a heatproof bowl and put it in the microwave for 30-45 seconds. The milk should be warm to touch but not too warm. The ideal temperature for the milk is between 110ºF – 115ºF. I highly recommend using a thermometer here. Anything hotter than this can kill your yeast, resulting in it not being activated.
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Be careful while adding in flour: Too much flour and these doughnuts will be dry and tough. Not enough flour and the dough won’t have enough structure to rise and will be dense and soggy. Toward the end of mixing, gradually add a tablespoon at a time and check the texture of the dough after each addition.
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Use room temperature eggs: Using cold eggs can affect the yeast in this recipe can cause the melted butter to coagulate in the mixture. Having your eggs at room temperature makes it easier to incorporate them and allow them to mix thoroughly in your dough. A good way of doing this is by letting them sit in a bowl filled with room temperature water for around 10 minutes or until they come down to room temperature.
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Set a timer to knead your dough: I highly recommend setting a timer to knead the dough for this recipe. To allow the dough to strongly develop gluten and form a smooth round ball, you must continuously knead it for a minimum 10 minutes.
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Do not over-proof the dough: Over proofing the dough causes the air bubbles to escape and will therefore cause your bombolinis to deflate instead while frying. Never exceed 16 hours while proofing the dough overnight in the refrigerator and 45 minutes while proofing in warm temperature conditions.
How to GET THE BEST RESULTS FROM THIS RECIPE?
All of the recipes on the blog are thoroughly tested multiple times and carefully designed so that anyone can reproduce these delicious goods in their own kitchen and enjoy them to the fullest. The only way to make this possible is when anyone can exactly replicate the measurements and temperatures.
- In order to standardise the way ingredients are measured, I highly recommend that you weigh them in grams. Volume measurements are nearly not as accurate and have a lot of scope for errors. To precisely be able to replicate the recipes, all you will need is a kitchen scale!
- Every vessel heats up differently. Your oven might be over heating or under heating by around 50 degrees or more and you might not even know. In order to ensure that you are frying at the right temperatures, I highly recommend investing in a thermometer!
If you would still like to use volume measurements, I mentioned those below. However, I primarily test my recipes in grams and cannot promise the best results if you do so. Trust me, once you’ll start using these tools you’d never want to go back.
I hope you’ll enjoy these Coffee Bombolinis this New Year and don’t forget to bookmark this recipe for later. These pretty & delicious donuts would make the perfect delight for your breakfast or Sunday family brunch!
Happy Holiday Cooking!
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Coffee Bombolinis
- Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 9–10 bombolinis 1x
Description
These coffee bombonlinis are the perfect BOMB dessert you need to make this New Years’ Eve. These are Italian doughnuts filled with a light and fluffy coffee whipped cream.
Ingredients
DOUGH
- 180ml (¾ cup) warm whole milk, between 110ºF-115ºF
- 2¼ (¼ oz packet) teaspoons active dry or instant yeast
- 50g (¼ cup) granulated sugar
- 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
- 56g (¼ cup) unsalted butter, melted
- 375g (3 cups) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
FILLING
- 120ml (½ cup) heavy whipping cream, cold
- 2 tablespoons confectioners’ or granulated sugar
- 1½ teaspoon espresso powder
- 1 teaspoon cold water
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, heat the milk to around 110ºF-115ºF. To this, add in the yeast and granulated sugar. If using active dry yeast, let the mixture rest for around 10-15 minutes until the mixture is foamy & bubbly. If using instant yeast, continue to the next step.
- Add in the egg and egg yolk into the mixture and beat until completely incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. If using a stand mixer, do this in the bowl of the mixer fitted with the dough hook.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Add in the melted butter and knead the dough until it comes together and is crumbly in texture.
- Place dough hook on stand mixer and knead dough on medium speed for 8 minutes. The dough should form into a nice ball and be slightly sticky. If it’s too sticky add in 1-2 tablespoons more flour. If you don’t want to use an electric mixer, you can use your hands to knead the dough for 8-10 minutes on a lightly floured surface.
- Once the dough is ready, transfer it to a lightly greased bowl. Cover the dough with a plastic wrap and then a warm towel. Allow to bulk ferment in a warm environment for 1-2 hours or until doubled in size. Alternatively, you can bulk ferment the dough overnight.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Turn the dough out onto work surface (try not to use flour if you can). Divide into 75g portions. Roll each portion into a tight ball, making sure that they are well sealed on the bottom.
- Place the rolled doughnuts on the baking sheets, flattening each one slightly, leaving adequate space between.
- Cover loosely with a plastic wrap. Allow to proof in a warm environment for 30-45 minutes or until puffy. This rise time will depend on the weather and the temperature of your starting dough so will take anywhere between 20 minutes to an hour. When you poke them lightly with your finger, it should leave a small indentation that springs back.
- While the doughnuts are proofing, heat neutral oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot (cast iron works great). Heat the oil to 350°F (180°C). Place a wire rack over a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Once the oil has come to temperature, test it with a few scraps of dough. Gently lower the doughnuts, two at a time, into the hot oil. Cook for 3 minutes on one side and then flip again, and cook for a further 3 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the oil using a slotted spoon and place on a cooling rack.
- Allow to cool for 30 seconds before tossing in the sugar. Repeat the process with the rest of the doughnuts. Once the doughnuts are totally cool, poke a hole in them using a piping tip.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, whip the heavy cream and sugar until stiff peaks form. In a small bowl prepare freshly brewed espresso by adding in espresso and cold water. Fold into the whipped cream.
- Transfer the coffee cream filling into a piping bag fitted with a round attachment. Fill each doughnut with the filling, finishing with a little blob on the top.
- Doughnuts are best eaten on the day that they are made.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Bombolinis
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: coffee bombolinis, bombolini donuts, italian donuts bombolini, cream filled doughnuts, bombolinis
I don’t understand. Does the whole 1/4 cup sugar go in the dough? And then the 2 tablespoons is for the filling? What do you use the coat it with?
Yes 1/4 cup goes in the dough
The other is for dusting at the end. Nothing goes in the filling, as mentioned in the instructions.
Kind of confusing, one part says yo kneed for atleast 10 min another says 8-10. There is only one measurement for sugar but it stated 2 places sugar is needed.
Kind of confusing, one part says yo kneed for atleast 10 min another says 8-10. There is only one measurement for sugar but it stated 2 places sugar is needed.
Second sugar is for dusting at the end for filling and dusting. Kneed until it passes window pane test – that depends on you as the baker or your mixer.
How long can these sit out for at room temperature or how long will they last in refrigeration?
These coffee bombions are the most delicious dessert we’ve had in a long time. Not too sweet. Soft, pillowy delicious cake with a perfect coffee cream filling. Will be making these over and over again.
★★★★★