Chanukah Sameach!

With Chanukah upon us, here is a delicious recipe for sufganiyot (Israeli doughnuts)!

With thanks to Jenn Segal, Onceuponachef.com for this recipe.

Sufganiyot (Israeli doughnuts)

A cross between a beignet (deep-fried pastry fritter) and a jam doughnut, sufganiyot are pillowy doughnuts that are eaten in Israel and around the world during Chanukah, when foods fried in oil symbolise the miracle of the oil that burned for eight days instead of one in the Chanukah story. Sufganiyot are traditionally filled with jam, but if family doesn’t like jam, the filling options are limitless: custard or Nutella are also great options. Sufganiyot are also delicious plain.

This recipe is faster and easier than most because the dough is not kneaded and requires only a single rise.

Servings: 24

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Total time: 45 minutes, plus 1 to 2 hours for the dough to rise

Ingredients

• 1 cupwarm water, heated to about 110°F
• 1 tablespooninstant/rapid-rise or active dry yeast (note that this is more than 1 packet)
• 3 cupsall-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and levelled-off, plus extra for rolling out
• ¼ cupicing sugar, plus more for coating
• ¾ teaspoonsalt
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 large egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus extra for frying
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• About 1 cup jam (or custard, Nutella etc)

Method

1. Combine the water and yeast in a small bowl and let sit for about five minutes until foamy.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the flour, icing sugar, salt, and nutmeg. Whisk to combine and set aside.
3. Add the egg yolks, 2 tablespoons of oil, and vanilla to the water/yeast mixture and whisk with a fork until combined.
4. Add the liquid mixture to the flour mixture and stir with rubber spatula until the dough comes together. It should be a bit sticky. Cover the bowl with cling film and let the dough rise on your work surface until doubled in size for 1 to 2 hours.
5. Line a baking sheet with a few layers of paper towels. Line another baking sheet with ­parchment paper and dust heavily with flour. Generously dust a clean work surface and your hands with flour. Scrape the dough out of the bowl onto the surface and dust the dough with flour. Pat the dough into a ¼-in-thick rectangle (it should be about 10 x 12-inches in size), making sure the bottom doesn’t stick by adding more flour to the counter and your hands as needed. Using a pizza cutter or very sharp knife, cut the dough into 24 two-inch squares and transfer to the floured baking sheet, leaving a little space between the squares. Sprinkle the squares lightly with flour.
6. Add enough oil to a large pot to measure about 2 inches deep and heat over medium heat to 350°F. (If you don’t have a thermometer, drop a 1-in cube of bread in the oil; if it takes about 1 minute to get golden brown, the oil is at the right temperature.) Place 6 dough pieces in the oil and fry until golden brown, about 3 minutes, flipping halfway through frying. Adjust the heat, if necessary, to maintain the oil temperature between 325°F and 350°F. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the doughnuts to the paper towel-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining doughnuts.
7. When the doughnuts are cool enough to handle, use a paring knife to puncture the side of each to form a pocket in the centre. Place the tip of a squeeze bottle or piping bag into the pocket and squeeze 1 to 2 teaspoons of jam inside. (Alternatively, if you don’t have the right tools or just don’t want to bother, serve the filling on the side.)
8. Using a fine sieve, dust the doughnuts generously with icing sugar. Serve warm.
9. Note: Warm water helps activate the yeast. The temperature doesn’t need to be exact so no need to use a thermometer; just try to get it about the temperature of bath water. (If you place your hand under the stream of water from the tap, it should feel hot but you should be able to leave your hand there without it stinging.)
10. Make-ahead instructions: The dough can be made a day ahead of time and refrigerated. Let it sit out at room temperature for about an hour before rolling out and cutting.
11. Enjoy!

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With thanks to Jenn Segal, Onceuponachef.com for this recipe which can be found here https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/sufganiyot-israeli-donuts.html