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Recipes

Bolas de Berlim

Bolas de Berlim are the king of Portuguese beach fritters: a soft, yeasted dough, deep-fried, rolled in sugar and filled with egg cream (creme pasteleiro). The secret lies in a well-kneaded dough, patient proving and oil at the right temperature, which leaves the characteristic pale band around the middle.

Yields
12 doughnuts
Prep
40 min (+ 2 h proving)
Cook
20 min
Difficulty
Read about Berliner →

Ingredients

  • 500 g Plain flour
  • 60 g Sugar
  • 20 g (or 7 g dried) Fresh yeast
  • 180 ml Warm milk
  • 2 Eggs
  • 60 g Softened butter
  • 1 lemon Lemon zest
  • 1 tsp (≈ 7 g) Salt
  • as needed (≈ 1 l) Oil for frying
  • as needed (≈ 150 g) Sugar for rolling
  • 500 ml Milk (for the cream)
  • 4 Egg yolks
  • 120 g Sugar (for the cream)
  • 40 g Cornflour (cornstarch)
  • 1 strip Lemon peel

Method

  1. Dissolve the yeast in part of the warm (not hot) milk with a spoonful of the sugar and let it stand for 10 minutes, until frothy.

  2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, remaining sugar, salt and lemon zest. Add the eggs, the yeast mixture and the rest of the milk, and knead until smooth.

  3. Add the softened butter a little at a time and knead well (8–10 minutes, by hand or with a dough hook) until the dough is elastic and pulls away from the bowl.

  4. Cover the bowl with a cloth and let the dough prove in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

  5. Meanwhile make the creme pasteleiro: heat the milk with the lemon peel until it begins to steam. Separately, whisk the yolks with the sugar and cornflour. Pour the hot milk over the yolks in a thin stream, whisking constantly, then return everything to the pan.

  6. Cook the cream over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens and coats the spoon (2–3 minutes). Remove the lemon peel, cover with cling film touching the surface, and chill completely.

  7. Shape the proved dough into equal balls (≈ 70 g each) and set them, well spaced, on a floured surface. Cover and let prove a further 30–40 minutes, until puffy and slightly wobbly.

  8. Heat the oil to 165–170 °C / 330–340 °F (medium-low). Fry 2 to 3 doughnuts at a time, 2–3 minutes per side, turning only once to keep the pale band around the middle. Don't let the oil get too hot or they will brown outside while staying raw within.

  9. Drain on kitchen paper and, while still warm, roll generously in sugar.

  10. Once cool, make a side slit with scissors or a knife and, using a spoon or piping bag, fill with the cold creme pasteleiro. Best served the same day.