Can I tell you a secret?
I ate these for lunch yesterday.
Nothing else. Just a donut, filled with custard.
The veggies in my fridge are weeping.
How did it come to this?
Well, the October 2010 Daring Bakers challenge was hosted by Lori of Butter Me Up. Lori chose to challenge DBers to make doughnuts. She used several sources for her recipes including Alton Brown, Nancy Silverton, Kate Neumann and Epicurious. Lori’s delicious choice of a challenge led me to make a batch of delectable bomboloni (sort of like huge, Italian donut holes) that tasted fresher and fluffier than any donut I’ve ever had. It was my own streak of madness that decided to forgo the fruit preserve filling for dulce de leche custard. That, I cannot justify.
Thankfully, I don’t believe that donuts and custard are something that should be analyzed. Analysis distracts you from gobbling them up.
So, that being said, I’ll stop wondering why I created this Frankenstein-esque monster of yummyness and show you how it happened.
For the custard, I combined whole milk…
…and dulce and leche in a saucepan, whisking all the while.
While that heated, I put some flour, sugar, egg yolks, and vanilla bean paste (love that stuff!) in a medium-sized bowl.
After whisking that all together…
…I added a little bit of the warm dulce de leche mixture to the eggs, again whisking like mad so they didn’t scramble.
Once the eggs were tempered, I added the rest of the dulce de leche milkyness.
Then I popped it all back in the saucepan and cooked the custard for about 20 minutes, until thick.
I neglected to take pictures of that.
After the custard thickened, I poured it in a container to chill in the fridge.
I neglected to take pictures of that, too.
For the bomboloni, I combined flour, yeast, water, and honey…
…mixed it all together…
…and let it rise for about an hour, until it got all foamy and poofy.
After tossing that mixture in the old KitchenAid, I added some more flour, milk, egg yolks, and salt.
Once that was thoroughly combined, I added some butter—glorious butter.
And then let the mixer to the hard work, kneading it for about five minutes, until it got nice and sticky.
Using an oiled spatula, I transferred the dough to an oiled bowl, covering it and popping it in the fridge to rise overnight.
The next day, I separated the dough into somewhat more manageable sections and rolled them out, using plastic wrap so they wouldn’t stick to anything.
With a medium-sized cookie cutter, I cut out my bomboloni…
…and fried them in canola oil at roughly 360 degrees for just a few minutes.
Once drained, I rolled the donuts in granulated sugar.
While my bomboloni eagerly waited nearby, I grabbed my container of chilled dulce de leche custard, which had thickened nicely in the fridge.
Despite my best maneuvering, I couldn’t get my pastry tip to make a big enough hole in the donuts for the filling. So, I improvised with a chopstick, which worked like a dream.
It created the perfect opening for maximum custardy goodness.
And with that, I had some beautiful, sugary bomboloni filled with sweet, caramel-y custard.
Daring Bakers’ Challenge—success!
Since I followed these two recipes pretty much by the book, you can find the recipe for the dulce de leche custard here and the recipe for the bomboloni here.
They look great and as I am famished right now I wish I could eat them immediately!
OH my goodness do those look SO good! I absolutely love filled doughnuts and so you know I just adore the dulce de leche custard you filled them with. OH YUM! I had a fun time with this challenge, it was my first one. 🙂
Looks absolutely delicious 🙂
Oh, please, dulce de leche custard and doughnuts, what a DREAM! 🙂 Congrats on your challenge!
That's health food, right?
Hello fellow Daring Baker! Your doughnuts look so good, and I'm sure they are. I love doughnuts…
I made apple cider doughnuts for my very first challenge. Great job!
I would totally eat these for lunch AND for dinner! I don't know why I did not make bomboloni but sure they will be tried soon in this house. I love stopping by at your blog because I'm sure I will often find some dulce de leche around…something I adore!
I bet those are delicious. They look very yummy.
*does Homer Simpson drool* That filling sounds absolutely divine and your doughnuts look really fluffy. Nice job!
I made a filling pocket with a chopstick too! Great minds think alike and that.
Bleh, I'm struggling to finish my post. I can't concentrate. I need some of those bombolini to keep me going. 😉 Seriously, they look heavenly.
Your bomboloni's look delicious! I love the dulce de leche custard oozing out of the middle. Nice job on the challenge!
How amazing are these….love love love the dulce de leche and as for the photos, they are amazing….
This looks so good. I would have to share immediately before I eat them all haha.
These are just amazing:) I love dulce de leche. Great job! Thank you for your sweet comment the other day:)
I love filled donuts, your dolce de leche filling make me drool all over my keyboard
Oh my goodness!! Dulce de leche filled bombolinis sound and look heavenly! I'm having a serious sugar craving just reading your post! Excellent job!
@Phoodie: Thank you! These make a great snack!
@Lindsey: Thanks! I was really happy with the custard–'twas very yummy. Welcome to the Daring Bakers!!
@Shea: Thank you!
@UFRV: Thanks! I must say that it's a lovely combination.
@Drackar: Absolutely! That's why I ate three. 😀
@Eileen: Apple cider donuts = YUM! hehehe Welcome to the Daring Bakers!
@Sara: Dulce de leche is definitely becoming an obsession of mine. 😀
@Pascale: Thank you! 🙂
@Suzler: hahaha Thanks! I tell ya, chopsticks are the way to go!
I totally understand your writer's block. I procrastinated and wrote my post in between an Econ and Government test. Probably should've used that time for a bit more studying. 😀
@The Betz Family: Thank you!
@Renuka: Thanks! It was definitely hard to take the time for photos–these were yummy!
@Carolyn: Absolutely! These are a dangerous thing to have all to yourself. 😀
What a breakfast! (looks sadly at own bowl of oatmeal). Donuts are the reason I don't have a deep fat fryer in the house. The regular ones are good. I know dulce de leche custard donuts would be my downfall.
lovely job on this months challenge! the dulce de leche sounds so good! like donut plant in nyc!
These look insanely good!
Holy moly, look at these things! So so delicious, Koci! I don't blame you for eating them for lunch!
I am reading this as I am having lunch and am wishing I could have your bomboloni instead! They look amazing. Good improvising with the chopstick. Thanks for commenting on mine 🙂
Dulce de Leche custard sounds delish! Don't worry about revealing your secret.. I'd do the same ;o)
Thanks for your lovely comment on my post
These look ab fab!
Those look beyond yummy… You soo inspire me to step outside the box mix that I soo get use to. XOXO
@Hester: There ain't nothing wrong with oatmeal! Granted, mine's half full of brown sugar, but still. hehehe
Donuts are definitely a dangerous thing! 😀
@Jana: Thank you!!
@Laken: Thanks!
@Marisa: haha Thanks!
@thedaintyapron: Absolutely! I love getting to check out all the different versions of each month's challenge.
@Renata: Of course! Dulce de leche should be a lunchtime staple.
@Becky: haha Thank you!
@Jenny: Thanks! So happy to have helped you spread your donut-making wings! 😀
this is so rich and decadent, i just love how pretty it looks! yum! wish i had one. thanks for sharing this.
Wowie zowie these look great! I'm not a huge fan of filled donuts…but these…I would totally eat these!!!
These rock! I love the dulce de leche flavor! I'd probably be eating another for dinner too…then running a whole lot in the morning 🙂
@blackbook: Thank you! They may look pretty, but they get very messy, too. 😀
@Claire: I know what you mean! Usually cake donuts are my favorite, but these were yummy!
@baking.serendipity: There was definitely some extra time spent on the treadmill thanks to these! 😀
These look sooo yummy…What an idea to fill these with custard..I can eat 8-10 of those 🙂
I love all the baked goodies you post here…the ricotta cheese cookies came out great but they were sightly shapeless coz i added some milk to the batter, so i couldnt really post them on my blog =)n now this….Gosh! I really feel like baking now…which usually i am horribley lazy to do =)….putting you on my blogroll with immediate effect….
@sinfullyspicy: Thanks! They're definitely very munchable. 😀
@Cardamom Hills: Sorry that the milk didn't work. When I was testing the recipe, I got that same kind of effect when I used too much butter and not enough ricotta.
Thanks for the add!
Bugger the donuts, just give me a bowl of that sinfully good looking dulce de leche custard and we'll call it a day, okay?
Oh my God, you´ve killed me.
I want a bomboloni please, please , please…..
They are my favorite cake since I was 5 or 6… (now I´m nearly 44)
kisses