Sufganiyot (Jelly Doughnuts)
Hanukkah begins this weekend! Which means sufganiyot – jelly doughnuts.
I’m not Jewish, but grew up with so many Jewish friends and family friends, most of whom are great cooks. I’m far from an expert (Amy Rosen”s Kosher Style is my go-to reference book) but I do adore making doughnuts, and I particularly love the jelly-filled kind.
Use a fairly basic yeast-raised dough – the same one I use to make sprinkle doughnuts and the like. To make jelly doughnuts, just cut small-ish rounds (you don’t want them too big, or they could be tricky to cook through) – then just poke a hole in the side with the tip of a knife and squeeze in some jelly via a ziplock bag. My favourite jelly doughnuts aren’t too sweet – I love the rhubarb-filled Josie Jelly at Rhino Coffee in Tofino – and so I thawed some stewed rhubarb and blended it with a hand-held immersion blender to fill these. A looser compote can be a bit trickier to work with, but any drips are delicious to clean up.
Sufganiyot (Jelly Doughnuts)
AuthorJulie
Put the milk in a large bowl—use your stand mixer if you have a dough hook—and sprinkle with the yeast. Let it sit for a few minutes, until it gets foamy. Add about 3 cups of the flour along with the sugar, eggs, butter and salt and stir until you have a sticky dough. Add a bit more flour and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, but still very tacky—the flour will absorb some of the liquid and smooth out as it rests. Cover and let rise for about an hour and a half, or until it doubles in size.
Roll or pat the dough out about 1/2-inch thick and cut into about 2 inch rounds with a cookie cutter or the rim of a glass. (Re-roll the scraps if you like—I like to cook them as is for wonky sugary doughnut bits that always wind up looking kind of like animals.) Cover the rounds with a tea towel and let rest for about half an hour.
When you’re ready to cook, set a heavy, shallow pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add about two inches of oil; heat it until it’s hot, but not smoking—a scrap of bread or dough dipped in should sizzle, and if you have a thermometer it should read about 350F. Cook the doughnuts in batches, without crowding the pot—turn them with a slotted spoon or tongs for 2-3 minutes, or until they turn deep golden. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate, and when they’re cool enough to handle (but still quite warm), roll them around in a shallow dish of sugar to coat.
Put the jam into a piping bag or zip-lock bag and snip off one corner. Poke a knife into the side of each doughnut, stick the end of the bag into the hole and gently squeeze in some jam - you'll feel it getting heavier. (Alternatively, slice each doughnut halfway open and spoon some in.) Serve warm, if at all possible.
Ingredients
Directions
Put the milk in a large bowl—use your stand mixer if you have a dough hook—and sprinkle with the yeast. Let it sit for a few minutes, until it gets foamy. Add about 3 cups of the flour along with the sugar, eggs, butter and salt and stir until you have a sticky dough. Add a bit more flour and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, but still very tacky—the flour will absorb some of the liquid and smooth out as it rests. Cover and let rise for about an hour and a half, or until it doubles in size.
Roll or pat the dough out about 1/2-inch thick and cut into about 2 inch rounds with a cookie cutter or the rim of a glass. (Re-roll the scraps if you like—I like to cook them as is for wonky sugary doughnut bits that always wind up looking kind of like animals.) Cover the rounds with a tea towel and let rest for about half an hour.
When you’re ready to cook, set a heavy, shallow pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add about two inches of oil; heat it until it’s hot, but not smoking—a scrap of bread or dough dipped in should sizzle, and if you have a thermometer it should read about 350F. Cook the doughnuts in batches, without crowding the pot—turn them with a slotted spoon or tongs for 2-3 minutes, or until they turn deep golden. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate, and when they’re cool enough to handle (but still quite warm), roll them around in a shallow dish of sugar to coat.
Put the jam into a piping bag or zip-lock bag and snip off one corner. Poke a knife into the side of each doughnut, stick the end of the bag into the hole and gently squeeze in some jam - you'll feel it getting heavier. (Alternatively, slice each doughnut halfway open and spoon some in.) Serve warm, if at all possible.
Thank you Julie! The process was as straight forward as you made it sound – with equally lovely results!
Thank you dear Julie the process is very easy. Very helpful
Thank you Julie! The process was as straight forward as you made it sound – with equally lovely results! thanks for sharing this article.