Sufganiyot
Hebrew for “doughnuts,” sufganiyot are the most popular Hanukkah food in Israel. These fried treats are simply made from balls of yeast dough and filled with chocolate, creams, curd or, as here, jam. Bakeries and markets start frying them weeks before the actual holiday and keep going until the week after. With TV chef Andrew Zimmern’s recipe, you can prepare them year-round.
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup (6 fl. oz./180 ml) milk
- 1 Tbs. active dry yeast
- 3 cups (15 oz./470 g) plus 1 Tbs. all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup (2 1/2 oz./75 g) superfine sugar
- 6 Tbs. (3/4 stick) (3 oz./90 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature, diced
- 1 egg
- 4 tsp. Armagnac or apple brandy
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 5 cups (40 fl. oz./1.25 l) canola oil, plus more for brushing
- 1 cup (8 oz./250 g) granulated sugar
- 1 Tbs. ground cinnamon
- 3 cups (30 oz./940 g) strawberry jam or jelly
Directions:
In a small microwave-safe bowl, warm the milk at high power to 110°F (43°C), about 1 minute. Sprinkle the yeast over the milk and let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the flour and superfine sugar. Add the milk mixture, butter, egg, Armagnac, vanilla and salt. Knead on low speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until the dough starts to come together, about 4 minutes. Increase the speed to medium and knead until the dough is soft and pulls away from the bowl, about 10 minutes.
Lightly brush a large bowl with oil. Place the dough in the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 2 hours. Lightly brush 2 rimmed baking sheets with oil. Punch down the dough and cut in half. Roll each half into a 12-inch (30-cm) log. Cut each log into 12 equal pieces, roll into balls and arrange on the prepared baking sheets, about 3 inches (7.5 cm) apart. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
In a medium bowl, stir together the granulated sugar and cinnamon.
In a large saucepan over medium heat, pour in the 5 cups (40 fl. oz./1.25 l) oil and heat to 325°F (165°C) on a deep-frying thermometer. Working in batches, fry the doughnuts, turning once, until golden, about 2 minutes per side. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the doughnuts as they’re done to the cinnamon sugar and toss to coat. Let cool on a wire rack for about 15 minutes.
Spoon the jam into a pastry bag or a small resealable plastic bag with 1 corner snipped. Pipe about 2 Tbs. of the jam into 2 opposite ends of each doughnut and serve as soon as possible. Makes 24 doughnuts.
Make Ahead: The doughnuts can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature overnight.
Recipe courtesy of Andrew Zimmern, four-time James Beard Award-winning TV personality, chef, writer, teacher, executive producer and host of Travel Channel's Bizarre Foods and The Zimmern List. www.andrewzimmern.com