Vegetable oil, for frying (canola, corn or sunflower)
Nutella, to fill the bomboloni
Confectioners sugar (powdered),for decorating
Instructions
Place the milk with the yeast in a large bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer) and let the mixture sit for 10 minutes to activate the yeast.
After this time, add the sugar, eggs and vanilla extract and mix with a fork until well blended.
Add in the two types of flour and salt and mix with the same fork for 1 minute until a slightly sticky dough is formed. Place the dough on the a clean surface and knead by beating and folding over itself for 10 minutes.
Add half of the butter to the dough and knead for 5 more minutes. Repeat this process once more until all the butter is incorporated and the dough is smooth and elastic. It is important not to add more flour as the kneading is what will shape the dough (the whole kneading process can also be done in a mixer with the dough hook attached).
Place the dough in the same bowl greased with a little oil and cover it with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let it rest for 2 hours in a warm place.
Once the dough has doubled in size, place it on a clean, floured surface and roll it out with a rolling pin until it is about 7 mm thick.
With a cookie cutter or a glass, cut out circles of approximately 2.5 inches (7 cm) in diameter and place them on a large tray with baking paper so that they do not stick. Repeat the process only once with the leftover dough and make mini donuts with the dough left over at the end.
Cover the bomboloni with a kitchen towel and let them rest for 1 hour. At the end of the hour, put enough vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat to heat it up.
Once the oil is hot, fry the bomboloni three at a time, or depending on the size of the pan. They should cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side. Place them on a plate with absorbent paper to remove any excess oil.
Put some confectioners sugar on a flat plate and immediately, while they are still a little hot, dip the bomboloni in sugar until they are completely covered.
With a sharp knife, make a small hole on one side of each of the bomboloni to be able to fill them. Put the nutella in a piping bag or ziploc bag with a piping tip (optional) and fill the bomboloni with enough nutella.