Mumbai bakers and chefs decode the city's bomboloni craze

Round pillowy soft sugardusted and bursting with gooey fillings in pleasant pastel hues If thatrsquos not Instagramfriendly then what is No wonder then that these sweet Italian doughnuts called bombolone plural bomboloni are selling like hot cakes in the city taking over the Gram and our hearts Five bakers and chefs who are among the handful of makers whipping up this hipster cousin of the ringshaped doughnut tell us why itrsquos here to stayChirag Makwana and Rajat MendhiFlavour bombAnanth Nayak and Abhilasha Rajan who run the fermentary Barmbay share that brioche doughnuts and bomboloni are similar mdash comprising eggs flour butter and sugar ldquoBombolone is an Italian doughnut thatrsquos traditionally made with olive oil but people also use butter It has some kind of stuffing Unlike regular doughnuts bomboloni have more eggsrdquo elaborates Rajan Emma the Italianorigin cofounder of Bandrabased Method Cafeacute reveals that bombolone refers to bomb in Italian ldquoTheyrsquore usually bombsized but when we introduced them at the cafeacute we felt that they might be more accessible in a smaller size with a cuppa so we calledthem babylonirdquoShiitake mushrooms and chocolate bombolone by BarmbayTrending treatRajan and Nayak attribute the popularity of brioche doughnuts or bomboloni to Indiansrsquo palate for sweet fried food like gulab jamun or jalebi That desis also love their custard plays a huge role points out Emma Chef Chirag Makwana who has been doling out brioche doughnuts as part of his weekend delivery menu Comfort Food Co tells us that these are also a byproduct of the lockdown ldquoLike the Dalgona coffee and banana bread Irsquove been seeing these doughnuts gaining popularity among people stuck at home in the past couple of monthsrdquoAnanth Nayak and Abhilasha RajanFilling goodBoth Makwana and Rajat Mendhi chef and founder of Bombay Picnics note that the cottonsoft decadent nature of brioche doughnuts make them the perfect carrier for a whole range of fillings Mendhi himself has added a desi touch to these doughnuts with his atte ka halwa creamfilled cardamom brioche doughnuts that are fried in ghee ldquoThe flavour combination of a gheeroasted halwa with a poori was a big hit for me while growing up I had been trying to introduce that combination in some way I tried a cupcake bread and a pie The doughnut just clicked itrsquos a play on the poori as itrsquos deepfried round and fluffyrdquoWhile custard is a classic filling for bomboloni says Emma she also offers a chocolate and a lemon tart option From srsquomores and lotus biscoff to tiramisu and salted caramel Makwana too has experimented with flavours every weekend for his eggless doughnuts Barmbay which specialises in sourdough bomboloni meanwhile offers innovative fillings including pintildea colada chai gulkand shiitake mushroomschocolate The Elvis a medley of peanut butter bacon jam and caramelised banana and the Goan dudol among others ldquoItrsquos one of our highest selling bakes Experiments with more flavours are in the worksrdquo Nayak says echoing the others Wersquollbe waitingHalwa poorish doughnuts by Bombay PicnicsGet set dough Bombay Picnicsrsquo halwa pooriish doughnutsLOG ON TO bombaypicnics on Instagram COST Rs 500 for a box of three plus delivery Three kinds of babyloni at Bandrarsquos Method Cafeacute AT Method Bandra LOG ON TO shopthemethodcom COST Rs 120 onwards Barmbayrsquos sourdough bomboloniLOG ON TO barmbay on Instagram COST Rs 180 onwards