Sufganiyot (Jelly Donuts)
Chanukah started on Saturday night. Observed for 8 days, Chanukah celebrates the triumph of light over dark. After the Macabees defeated the Greeks and reclaimed the Holy Temple, they went to light the menorah (7 branched candelabra) and found that there was only enough oil to last for one day. The miracle of Chanukah is that the oil lasted for 8 days - long enough for new oil to be procured.
To commemorate this miracle, we light one candle on each night of the holiday. We also eat foods cooked in oil, reflecting the significance of the holiday. The two most popular foods are latkes (potato pancakes), and these babies, sufganiyot - jelly donuts!
I've always wanted to make them myself, but for one reason or another, never got around to it. I knew they were easy (we made them in Jewish school), so I decided that this was going to be the year. I looked online and found a bunch of recipes that were almost the same, with slightly different techniques or something different added. Using those as a guideline, I made my own recipe.
Sufganiyot
2 envelopes active dry yeast (1/4 ounce each)
5 cups + 2 Tbsp flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
6 Tbsp vegetable shortening
1 1/2 cup lukewarm milk (I stuck mine in the microwave for a minute to warm it up)
3-4 cups of oil, for frying
13 oz. jar of fruit jelly, any flavor (I used raspberry, but just make sure whatever you're using says jelly or jam on it - preserves will be to hard for you to get inside the donut!)
Sprinkle yeast in warm water and set aside until foamy, about 5 minutes
In a large bowl, combine foamy water, 2 1/2 cups flour and all other ingredients. Add remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time, until dough is no longer sticky. If you're like me and don't have a mixer, you'll want to start using your hands around the 4-cup mark.
Knead dough in bowl, adding the 2 Tbsp of flour, until dough is soft and elastic. Cover and let rise for one hour.
On a floured surface, roll dough out until it's about 1/2 inch thick. Using a dough/cookie cutter or an overturned drinking glass, cut rounds from the dough. You should be able to get about 48 rounds. I could have gotten another 8-10 more out of what I had left of the dough, but I had no more room to stash them while I was cooking them.
Cover rounds with a damp towel and allow to proof about 20 minutes or until oil is heated.
Slowly heat oil to 350°F. Add dough rounds to oil, working in small batches to avoid overcrowding (I tried to keep it to 4 at a time). Rounds will sink when you first drop them in; when they float, turn them over, about 1-2 minutes. Remove when both sides are golden brown, about 3-4 minutes total cooking time. Remove with a slotted spoon or spatula (I found a spoon easier to handle) and drain on a cooling rack or paper towels. While cooking, add more oil as needed.
When cool enough to handle, fill with jelly. Using a knife or toothpick, poke a hole about 3/4 of the way through (make sure you don't go out the other side!). Using a pastry bag with a #4 tip or ziploc bag twisted into a point, squeeze about 1 Tbsp of jelly into each doughnut. Sprinkle both sides with powdered sugar and enjoy!
It seems like some of them don't have as much jelly as I thought, but I can remedy that next time by either using a pastry bag or using a couple of ziploc bags when things start to get really messy. Overall though, these are exactly what I wanted.
Chag Chanukah Sameach!
To commemorate this miracle, we light one candle on each night of the holiday. We also eat foods cooked in oil, reflecting the significance of the holiday. The two most popular foods are latkes (potato pancakes), and these babies, sufganiyot - jelly donuts!
I've always wanted to make them myself, but for one reason or another, never got around to it. I knew they were easy (we made them in Jewish school), so I decided that this was going to be the year. I looked online and found a bunch of recipes that were almost the same, with slightly different techniques or something different added. Using those as a guideline, I made my own recipe.
Sufganiyot
2 envelopes active dry yeast (1/4 ounce each)
5 cups + 2 Tbsp flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
6 Tbsp vegetable shortening
1 1/2 cup lukewarm milk (I stuck mine in the microwave for a minute to warm it up)
3-4 cups of oil, for frying
13 oz. jar of fruit jelly, any flavor (I used raspberry, but just make sure whatever you're using says jelly or jam on it - preserves will be to hard for you to get inside the donut!)
Sprinkle yeast in warm water and set aside until foamy, about 5 minutes
In a large bowl, combine foamy water, 2 1/2 cups flour and all other ingredients. Add remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time, until dough is no longer sticky. If you're like me and don't have a mixer, you'll want to start using your hands around the 4-cup mark.
Knead dough in bowl, adding the 2 Tbsp of flour, until dough is soft and elastic. Cover and let rise for one hour.
On a floured surface, roll dough out until it's about 1/2 inch thick. Using a dough/cookie cutter or an overturned drinking glass, cut rounds from the dough. You should be able to get about 48 rounds. I could have gotten another 8-10 more out of what I had left of the dough, but I had no more room to stash them while I was cooking them.
Cover rounds with a damp towel and allow to proof about 20 minutes or until oil is heated.
Slowly heat oil to 350°F. Add dough rounds to oil, working in small batches to avoid overcrowding (I tried to keep it to 4 at a time). Rounds will sink when you first drop them in; when they float, turn them over, about 1-2 minutes. Remove when both sides are golden brown, about 3-4 minutes total cooking time. Remove with a slotted spoon or spatula (I found a spoon easier to handle) and drain on a cooling rack or paper towels. While cooking, add more oil as needed.
When cool enough to handle, fill with jelly. Using a knife or toothpick, poke a hole about 3/4 of the way through (make sure you don't go out the other side!). Using a pastry bag with a #4 tip or ziploc bag twisted into a point, squeeze about 1 Tbsp of jelly into each doughnut. Sprinkle both sides with powdered sugar and enjoy!
It seems like some of them don't have as much jelly as I thought, but I can remedy that next time by either using a pastry bag or using a couple of ziploc bags when things start to get really messy. Overall though, these are exactly what I wanted.
Chag Chanukah Sameach!