Krapfen

Krapfen, also known as bomboloni in some parts of Italy, are a delicious pastry specialty of Austrian origin. Here’s how to prepare them:

Ingredients

• 500 g of 00 flour
• 50 g sugar
• 250 ml warm milk
• 25 g fresh brewer’s yeast
• 60 g butter at room temperature
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 whole egg
• 1 pinch of salt
• Grated zest of 1 lemon (untreated)
• Oil for frying (for example, peanut oil)
• Powdered sugar for dusting
• Apricot jam or pastry cream for filling

Preparation

1. Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk with a teaspoon of sugar taken from the total.
2. In a large bowl, sift the flour and make a well in the center. Add the yolks, the whole egg, the soft butter, the lemon zest, the salt and the remaining sugar.
3. Start kneading by adding the milk with the dissolved yeast little by little.
4. Work the dough until it becomes smooth and elastic, then cover it with a cloth and let it rise in a warm place until doubled in volume (it will take about 2 hours).
5. After the dough has risen, roll it out on a lightly floured surface until it reaches a thickness of about 1.5 cm.
6. With a cookie cutter or a glass, cut out disks of dough. Then let them rise on a lightly floured baking sheet for another 30 minutes.
7. Heat the oil in a deep pan or in a fryer to 170 °C, and fry the Krapfen a few at a time, turning them once, until they become golden on both sides.
8. Drain the Krapfen on paper towels to remove excess oil.
9. When they are still warm, fill them with apricot jam or pastry cream using a piping bag.
10. Dust the Krapfen with powdered sugar before serving them.

Trivia

Krapfen are traditionally prepared in Austria and Bavaria during Carnival time. In Italy, particularly in regions like Trentino-Alto Adige, their presence is strongly felt thanks to the influence of the nearby Austrian culture. According to tradition, sweets like Krapfen were given as gifts to celebrate the abandonment of meat and the entry into the Lenten period.