Hannukah Sufganyot (Jelly Donuts) Recipe

It’s almost Hannukah, and Hanukkah means sufganyot. Delicious jelly doughnuts dripping with jam, a once-a-year indulgence.

Sufganyot weigh in at about 300 calories per wicked, tempting little piece, but who says you have to eat more than one?

Consider taking our Hannukah eco-challenge, then fry some sufganyot for the kids. They have enough energy to burn them off. And they’ll love making them together with you.

Hannukah Sufganyot Recipe

Note 1: The dough needs to be made the night before and allowed to rise in the fridge.

Ingredients:

2 packages dry yeast, or 1 fresh cube

4 tablespoons granulated sugar

3/4 cup warm milk or water

2 -1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon or 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, if liked

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 egg yolks, beaten

1-1/2 tablespoon softened butter or margerine

Oil for frying

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup bright red jam, dulce de leche, or chocolate spread (See Green Prophet’s recipe for strawberry jam here.)

Dissolve the yeast and granulated sugar in the milk.

Place the flour in a large bowl and push most of it to the sides. Add the yeast mixture, yolks, salt, and cinnamon; mix well.

Work the softened butter or margarine into the dough, kneading for a few minutes till the dough is elastic. Cover the dough and put it away to rise overnight in the fridge.

Next day:

Flour your working surface. Roll dough out to 1/8 of an inch. Using a glass about 2 inches wide, cut out dough rounds. Cover and allow to rise 15 minutes.

Form the rounds into balls. Heat oil to 375 F – 190 C and drop a test donut into it. Turn it over when brown. Cut it open to test doneness on the inside – give the oil a few more minutes to finish heating up if the donut is still a bit raw inside.

Fry a few at a time – don’t crowd the pan. Remove the donuts with a slotted spoon to drain on crumpled newspaper.

Make a slit in the top of each and fill with 1/2 teaspoon of jam or other filling. Roll each sufganyah in powdered sugar.

Eat hot!

Note 2: These are best eaten fresh. If it seems you have excess dough, or wish to make some ahead of time, you can replace it in the fridge and just take off the amount you want for a fresh batch.

More on green Jewish Holidays:

• TuB’Shvat, Jewish Eco-Holiday
• Have a Sweet and Green Rosh HaShanah
• Shavuot Recipe: New York Cheesecake

Photo of Sufganyot by Miriam Kresh