THAT SUFGANIYOT DOUGH!

Israeli Jelly Doughnuts

Late December nights in my family are spent spinning dreidels, lighting the menorah by the snow frosted window, telling the story of Hanukkah, and of course stuffing our faces with hot jelly sufganiyot.

There’s an Israeli folklore that goes this way: after Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden, God tried to cheer up by giving them jelly doughnuts. Pretty much all scholars agree that the tale has zero basis in the scripture, but the idea that doughnuts bring joy is a standard one across cultures.

The Israeli version is the sufganiyah—the singular of sufganiyot—and it’s not only the Lord’s consolation prize, but also a staple of annual Hanukkah celebrations. It’s said that the fried treats are a good fit for a holiday focused on oil, commemorating the miracle of one night of oil lasting for eight. The most stereotypical sufganiyot, after all, are fried balls of yeast dough filled with strawberry jelly and dusted heavily with powdered sugar.

The word sufganiyot can be traced back to the Greek word sufan, meaning “spongy” or “fried,” as can the Arabic word for a smaller, deep-fried doughnut named sfenj. This could perhaps be where these treats got their name; similar fried balls of dough have been eaten to commemorate Hanukkah for centuries by Jews in North Africa.

Sufganiyot can now be found throughout the United States as well during Hanukkah, produced by Jewish and non-Jewish bakeries alike. After all, as people all over the world have been discovering for centuries, no one can say no to a truly delicious jelly doughnut.

Recipe

Time: 1 hour and 15 minutes (additional 2 hours rising time)

Yield: 30 donuts

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the baking sheet and rolling out the dough

¼ cup granulated sugar

1 (¼ -ounce) packet active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)

½ teaspoon fine salt

2 large egg yolks

¾ cup warm whole milk (105°F to 115°F)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter (¼ stick), at room temperature

6 cups (1 ½ quarts) vegetable or canola oil, for frying, plus more for coating the bowl

⅔ cup smooth jam or jelly

Powdered sugar, for dusting

Instructions:

1. Place the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk to combine. Add the yolks and milk and mix, using the hook attachment, on medium-low speed until a shaggy dough forms, about 1 minute. Add the butter, increase the speed to medium high, and mix until the dough is smooth, shiny, and elastic, about 5 minutes.

2. Coat a large bowl with oil. Form the dough into a ball, place in the bowl, and turn to coat in the oil. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 to 1 ½ hours.

3.Lightly flour a baking sheet; set aside. Punch down the dough, transfer to a lightly floured work surface, and roll until about ¼ inch thick. Using a 2-inch round cutter, stamp out as many dough rounds as possible and place on the prepared baking sheet about ½ inch apart. Gather the dough scraps into a ball and roll out again, stamping rounds until you have 30 total on the baking sheet. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a damp towel. Let rise in a warm place until puffy and about ½ inch thick, about 30 minutes.

4. Place the vegetable or canola oil in a Dutch oven or a large, heavy-bottomed pot and set over medium heat until the temperature reaches 350°F on a candy/fat thermometer. Meanwhile, line a second baking sheet with paper towels and place a wire rack over the paper towels; set aside. Place the jam or jelly in a piping bag fitted with a ¼ -inch round tip; set aside. 5.Using a flat spatula (don’t use your hands—this will deflate the donuts), carefully transfer the dough rounds, one at a time, into the oil. You should be able to fit about 6 at a time, leaving at least 1 inch of space in between and keeping the oil temperature at 350°F. Fry until the bottoms are golden brown, about 1 ½ minutes. Carefully flip with a fork and fry until the second side is golden brown, about 1 ½ minutes more. (If air bubbles appear in the donuts, pierce with the tip of a paring knife.) Remove with a slotted spoon to the wire rack. Repeat with the remaining dough rounds.

6.When the donuts are cool enough to handle, use a paring knife to puncture the side of each to form a pocket in the center. Place the tip of the piping bag into the pocket and pipe about 1 teaspoon of jam or jelly inside. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

7. Enjoy!