Bomboloni are Tuscany’s beloved cream-filled “bombe”: soft, airy, yeast-raised pastries fried until golden, then sugared and filled. Treccie are the braided cousins—perfect with espresso for breakfast or as a sweet treat.
Ingredients
- 1,000 g 00 flour
- 100 g biga (starter)
- 400 ml water
- 30 ml olive oil
- 5 g salt
- 3 large eggs (about 150 g)
- 400 g granulated sugar
- 250 g lard
- 45 ml Vin Santo
- 300 g pastry cream
- 20 g fresh yeast
- 5 ml vanilla extract
- 45 ml Grand Marnier
Tip Use biga for aroma + structure. Keep oil temperature steady for a light interior.
Instructions
- In a mixer bowl, combine flour and salt. Add eggs, sugar, lard, biga, vanilla, Vin Santo, and Grand Marnier.
- Dissolve fresh yeast in the water. Add gradually while mixing until a smooth, elastic dough forms.
- Cover and proof warm (about 80–85°F / 27–29°C) until expanded and airy (your dough notes say about 4 hours).
- For treccie: roll to about 2-inch thickness, cut strips, and braid/twist. For bomboloni: roll and cut rounds.
- Proof again about 1 hour until light and puffy.
- Fry in oil at a moderate temperature (your notes: about 275°F / 135°C) until golden and cooked through. Drain well.
- Toss in sugar while warm. Fill with pastry cream (loosen with a splash of Grand Marnier if desired). Serve warm.
Florentine & Tuscan History
📜 Bombolone / “Bomba” in Tuscany
Il bombolone, chiamato spesso anche “bomba”, è un dolce tipico italiano diffuso soprattutto in Toscana e Emilia-Romagna, dove l’arte della lievitazione e della frittura si è evoluta trasformandolo in una vera specialità.
In Toscana (e a Firenze), la tradizione di paste fritte da colazione si intreccia con la cultura dei forni e dei caffè: ogni zona ha le proprie variazioni—forme, impasti, farciture—che rendono il bombolone unico nel suo genere.