Sufganiyot Recipe | Jelly Donuts Recipe

Sufganiyot are delicate, airy little rounds of sweet dough, deep fried, filled with jelly and dusted with powdered sugar. They are traditionally served in Hanukkah because they’re fried in oil, and Hanukkah is a celebration of the “Miracle of the Oil.”

Sufganiot (pronounced soof-guh-nie-yowt, with an emphasis on the last syllable) are quite different than American jelly donuts, in taste and in texture. They are similar to berliners, if you’re familiar with those. You basically make a sweet yeast dough, shape it into rounds, deep fry, fill with jelly, then dust with powdered sugar.

Sufganiyot are sinfully delicious and (needless to say) not exactly a health food. It’s a good thing we only make them once a year.

Jelly Donuts (Sufganiyot) Bread Machine Recipe

Recipe makes 20 sufganiyot

Ingredients
1 cup whole milk – warm it for 30 seconds in the microwave
1/3 cup warm (not hot) water
1 large egg, beaten
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
4 1/2 cups bread flour (find it next to the other flours at your supermarket)
3/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 envelope rapid rise yeast. Make sure it’s fresh!
Strawberry jam (use smooth jam or jelly, not chunky preserves)
2 quarts Canola oil for deep frying

Directions
1. In a bread machine pan add the milk, water, egg, butter, flour, sugar, salt and yeast in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Set machine to the dough cycle.

2. When cycle is complete, remove dough from machine and place it on a lightly floured surface. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rest for 10 minutes.

3. Using a sharp knife, divide dough into 20 portions, each weighing 2 ounces. It’s best to weigh portions using a kitchen scale, but if you don’t have one, you’ll need to eyeball it. Roll dough into a log, divide by half, then divide each half into five portions, and finally divide each of these portions in two.

4. Roll each piece of dough in the palms of your hands until you form a smooth ball. Place on a greased baking sheet. Cover with a clean towel and place in a warm, draft-free place, away from the window (a 100-degree F oven is great). Let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

5. Heat oil in an electric deep fryer to 365 degrees Fahrenheit. Fry one layer of doughnuts at a time, 1.5 minutes on each side, turning with a slotted spoon.

6. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels. Allow sufganiyot to cool for a couple of minutes, until easier to handle. Fit a pastry bag with a thin, elongated tip – I use tip #230 from this cupcake decorating kit. Fit the tip into the side of each doughnut and pipe 1 teaspoon of jam into doughnut. Alternatively, you could use a sharp paring knife to make a small slit at the side of each sufganiya. Use a small teaspoon such as a baby spoon to insert the jelly into the donut.