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Sugar-coated air fryer bomboloni with a soft cream-filled center beside an air fryer

Air Fryer Bomboloni

Soft, fluffy Italian-style filled doughnuts made with enriched yeast dough, air fried until light golden, brushed with melted butter, rolled in sugar, and filled with pastry cream, chocolate-hazelnut spread, pistachio cream, or jam.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Servings: 10 bomboloni
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the Dough
  • 2½ cups (300g) bread flour or all-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
  • 2¼ tsp (7g / 1 packet) active dry yeast
  • ½ cup (120ml) whole milk warmed to about 105°F
  • 2 large eggs room temperature
  • 4 tbsp (55g) unsalted butter softened
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ tsp fine salt
For Coating & Filling
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter melted, for brushing before and after air frying
  • ½ cup granulated sugar for rolling
  • 1 cup pastry cream, chocolate-hazelnut spread, pistachio cream, or jam

Equipment

  • Air Fryer
  • Mixing bowl or stand mixer with dough hook
  • 3-inch round cutter or glass
  • Pastry brush
  • Piping bag

Method
 

Make the Dough
  1. Combine the warm milk, active dry yeast, and a small pinch of the measured sugar. Stir gently and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes, until foamy and bubbly.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, remaining sugar, and salt. Add the activated yeast mixture, eggs, and vanilla, and mix until a shaggy dough forms.
  3. Add the softened butter gradually, about 1 tablespoon at a time. Knead for 8 to 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth, elastic, soft, and slightly tacky.
Proof and Shape
  1. Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for 1½ to 2 hours, or until roughly doubled in size.
  2. Turn the risen dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll it to about ½ inch thick. Cut rounds with a 3-inch cutter or glass.
  3. Cover the shaped rounds loosely and let them rise again for 30 to 45 minutes, until visibly puffy and soft.
Air Fry
  1. Preheat the air fryer to 350°F. Lightly brush the tops of the proofed rounds with melted butter.
  2. Place 3 to 4 bomboloni in the air fryer basket with about 1 inch of space between them. Air fry at 350°F for 6 to 8 minutes per batch, flipping halfway if needed for your air fryer. Remove when light golden and cooked through.
Coat and Fill
  1. Immediately brush the hot bomboloni with melted butter and roll them in granulated sugar.
  2. Let cool for about 10 minutes. Make a small filling pocket in the side or top with a chopstick, small knife, or piping tip, then pipe in pastry cream, chocolate-hazelnut spread, pistachio cream, or jam.

Notes

Original recipe yield: about 10–12 medium bomboloni. Rise time is about 2 to 2½ hours total. Air fryer models vary, so begin checking the first batch early and remove the bomboloni when light golden rather than dark brown. If using parchment, follow the air fryer manufacturer's instructions and never preheat with loose parchment.