Alright, team. We've reached the end of our Hanukkah debacles (the first two were brisket and latkes, for those of you just tuning in). Today's episode of Slightly Kosher is all about sufganiyot—a traditional Jewish jelly donut served on Hanukkah and Hanukkah alone.
It is at this point that I must admit to you that sufganiyot were not a Hanukkah staple in the Koman household when I was growing up the way the former two foods were. Brisket and latkes were served each year without fail. If my brother and I were lucky, we'd learn jelly donuts were on the menu every...eight years or so. That's not because they were particularly time-consuming (again—we took a 24-hour journey through brisket together), nor was it because my mom isn't a great cook (she is!), but it was really because we were lucky to grow up near a few great Jewish bakeries who did them really well and it was just easier to buy a batch or two while focusing on the bigger Hanukkah tasks at hand.
I digress. You're here, presumably, because you want to go ahead and make the damn donuts yourself. OK! All I will say is that if I could bumble my way through them and make a fantastic batch the first time I did it solo, you can too. Here's a rough version of the recipe my mom gave to me:
Combine 3/5 a cup of flour, 1/4 cup of whole wheat flour (fine to just use more flour if that's what you've got!), and a teaspoon and change of yeast into the bowl of your stand mixer. Bring 1/4 cup of water, and a dash of honey and oil to room temperature and then combine it with your dry ingredients. Mix it together on a low speed. Add an egg to the mixture, as well as a drop of vanilla extract and a pinch of salt and combine for two minutes more. While the mixer is running, add a few tablespoons of flour—as many as required to take the combination from liquid to a more solid dough. Place the dough on a floured surface and knead, knead, knead for about five minutes, until it's firm but slightly sticky. Grease a large bowl with butter and let the dough proof for about an hour. Once it's done, place it on a floured surface again and roll it out to a slab about 1/4-inch thick. Cut as many 2-inch circles out of it as you can. Place each circle into a large pot of oil (I used canola—my mom likes peanut) heated to 375 degrees. Each one needs about 45 seconds on each side before being flipped and placed onto a paper towel-lined plate. Puncture each donut lightly and pipe in the jelly of your choosing (Jews typically go with raspberry preserves!) and dust with confectioner sugar before serving warm.
Yikes! Rather, yay! They are delicious and worth every minute. But yikes!!
Chag sameach, y'all. Send me pictures of all your beautiful Hanukkah creations! :)
Tess Koman covers breaking (food) news, opinion pieces, and features on larger happenings in the food world. She oversees editorial content on Delish. Her work has appeared on Cosmopolitan.com, Elle.com, and Esquire.com.
