Mini Bomboloni with coffee and chocolate sauce

With

Silvia Colloca

Mini Italian doughnuts dusted with icing sugar, served with coffee and chocolate sauce.

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About this recipe

Silvia Colloca's small Italian doughnuts enriched with eggs, olive oil and a splash of marsala, fried until the outsides crisp and the centres stay airy. Dusted with icing sugar and served warm with a coffee and chocolate dipping sauce. Carnival food, scaled for a plate.

Bomboloni (literally bombs in Italian) are the Tuscan version of the broader Italian doughnut family, distinct from the southern zeppole (which are usually unfilled and rolled in cinnamon sugar) and the Neapolitan struffoli (which are honey-glazed and stacked in towers). The bomboloni is round, yeasted, and traditionally filled with custard or jam after frying; this mini version goes unfilled and uses a coffee-chocolate dipping sauce instead.

The Marsala or brandy splash in the dough is the small Italian household trick that improves the crumb. The alcohol cooks out during the frying but the slight Maillard-browning effect of the sugar in the fortified wine deepens the crust colour and adds aromatic complexity. Not strictly necessary; the bomboloni works without it; the dough just tastes a notch flatter.

The orange zest in the dough is the second flavour layer. Italian doughnut culture (zeppole, fritters, bomboloni) typically incorporates citrus zest into the dough itself rather than relying on the topping for the flavour. Use the zest of one orange per batch; the citrus oil reads through the warm doughnut without dominating. Olive oil rather than melted butter keeps the texture lighter. Coffee and dark chocolate melted together for the dipping sauce; warm bomboloni dipped at the table. Espresso on the side.

Ingredients

For the Bomboloni:

350g all-purpose flour plus 100g for dusting
50g sugar
7g dry yeast
1 tsp salt
2 large eggs
50 ml olive oil
100ml whole milk, lukewarm
1 tsp vanilla paste
1 tbsp Marsala or brandy (optional)
orange zest
Sunflower or vegetable oil, for frying
Icing sugar, for dusting

For the Coffee and Chocolate Sauce:

50g dark chocolate (around 70% cocoa), chopped and 50g milk chocolate
150 ml thickened cream
2 tbsp Northern Beaches Coffee Roasters – Freeze Dry Coffee freshly brewed strong coffee or 2 teaspoons of instant coffee dissolved into 2 tablespoons of hot water
1/4 tsp vanilla paste
Essteele

Method

Prepare the Dough: In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar and yeast. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, oil, milk, vanilla and Marsala together. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix, adding salt until a soft dough forms.
Knead:Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 5-7 minutes until it becomes smooth and elastic.
First Rise: Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Let it rise for about 1.5-2 hours, or until more than doubled in size.
Shape the Bomboloni: After the dough has risen, punch it down and roll it out onto a floured surface to about 1/2-inch thickness. Add orange zest across the dough. Fold into 3 and roll it up and knead the dough adding flour before using a rolling pin about a centimetre or two. Using a cookie cutter, cut out circles on the dough, making 12 mini donuts. Sprinkle some flour over them and let them rise for 30 minutes until puffed up.
Fry the Bomboloni: In a large pot, heat the oil to around 170-180°C (340-350°F). Carefully fry the bomboloni in batches of 4 at a time, turning them occasionally until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side. Use a slotted spoon to transfer them to a plate lined with paper towels to drain excess oil.
Dust with Sugar: While still warm, dust the bomboloni with powdered sugar and set aside to cool slightly.

For the Coffee and Chocolate Sauce:

Get two tea spoons of coffee powder and our water, mixing it together until you get a paste-like texture.
Place cream in a pan on the stovetop and when this starts simmering, add dark chocolate into the pan. Add coffee into the mixture and stir until the sauce is silky and well-combined.
Pour the sauce into a bowl adding vanilla, mix together and let it cool down, allowing it to thicken.

Silvia Colloca

Silvia Colloca is a Roman-born cook, opera singer and cookbook author who has spent the last decade documenting the regional cooking of Italy from her home in Sydney. She fronts Silvia’s Masterclass, working through the country one mother-recipe at a time. Her style is patient: fresh pasta by hand, long-rise focaccia, sauces built slow.