Pistachio Bomboloni
- Level: Intermediate
- Yield: 18 bomboloni
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 18 servings
- Calories
- 204
- Total Fat
- 8
- Saturated Fat
- 1
- Carbohydrates
- 29
- Dietary Fiber
- 1
- Sugar
- 9
- Protein
- 5
- Cholesterol
- 42
- Sodium
- 127
- Total: 3 hr 45 min (includes rising, chilling and cooling times)
- Active: 1 hr 15 min
Ingredients
Dough:
3 1/4 cups (423 grams) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/4 cup (50 grams) sugar
1 packet (about 2 1/4 teaspoons) instant yeast
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup warm water
1/3 cup (67 grams) neutral oil, plus more for the bowl
2 large eggs
Pistachio Pastry Cream:
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup (96 grams) sugar, plus more for rolling
2 tablespoons (16 grams) cornstarch
Pinch of kosher salt
2 large egg yolks
1/2 cup (55 grams) finely ground unsalted raw pistachios, plus more for garnish
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 drop green food coloring, optional
Neutral oil, for deep-frying
Directions
Special equipment:
a pastry bag fitted with a small plain tip- For the dough: In a large bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix together the flour, sugar, yeast and salt. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the water, oil and eggs. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and mix on low to combine. Knead, either by hand on a floured surface or with a dough hook, for 7 to 10 minutes, adding more flour as necessary (it might be quite a bit, around 1 additional cup, but resist any urge to add too much!), until you have a smooth and still slightly sticky dough that just barely sticks to your hands if you give it a pinch.
- Transfer the dough to a large, oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature until it has doubled in size, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Alternatively, you can stick it in the refrigerator overnight and then let it sit at room temperature for about an hour before shaping.
- For the pistachio pastry cream: While the dough rises, warm the milk in a small saucepan over low heat just until tiny bubbles form around the perimeter of the pan. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch and salt until smooth. Whisk in the egg yolks. While whisking the eggs, slowly drizzle in 1/3 cup of the warm milk to temper the yolks. Pour the entire egg mixture into the saucepan of warm milk and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until a few bubbles pop to the surface and the mixture is thick like pudding, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the pistachios, vanilla and almond extracts and food coloring, if using, and stir to combine. Transfer the cream to a clean bowl. Cover the surface with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours. (It can also be made a day ahead.)
- When the dough has doubled, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Punch the dough down and roll out on a floured surface to about 1/2-inch thickness. Use a 2-inch cutter to cut as many rounds as possible; you should get about 18 rounds. Place the rounds on the baking sheet. (You can re-roll the scraps once more, if necessary, to get 18, but re-rolling more than once will make the bomboloni tough.) Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise until puffy, up to 30 minutes (or a little less if your kitchen is very warm).
- Meanwhile, heat about 2 inches of neutral oil in a Dutch oven to 350 degrees F. Set a cooling rack over a rimmed baking sheet. Spread some sugar in a small bowl. Fry the rounds in 2 batches, turning once, until puffed and golden brown on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes total per batch. Remove to the cooling rack. While still hot, roll in the sugar to fully coat. Let cool completely.
- Put the chilled pastry cream in a pastry bag fitted with a small plain tip. To fill, insert the tip straight down in the top of a bombolone and wiggle the tip to make a little space. Fill the space with the pastry cream. Fill all of the bomboloni, then garnish with pistachios and serve right away.