Sufganiyot by Nina

In a word fried food is intoxicating.  When you pair the seductive flavor of fried with a little sweet it becomes irresistible.  Sufganiyot or Israeli doughnuts are light fried pillows of dough, injected with jam, chocolate crème, vanilla crème or something else and dusted with powdered sugar.  My wonderful friend Nina, who I have cooked with before many times for this blog, came over to my home again to actually show me how to make sufganiyot.  ^[1] There is no better way to learn than hands on. Nina and I made them dairy with non fat lactaid milk and melted butter.  I tried making them with almond milk and melted margarine the next day.  Dairy-free works just great.

This Hanukah indulge you fried fantasies and try these Sufganiyot, they are simple to make if you have a little extra time.

Other wonderful fried things to eat are fried fish, fried cauliflower, fried potato latkes, sweet potato mix latkes, celery root latkes, and beet or zucchini latkes.  Remember the oil and the miracle it performed.  Happy Hanukah

Serves 10 to 14 ^[2]

2 1/ 2 cups unbleached flour

1 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon orange or lemon zest

3 packages of yeast (21 grams)

1/ 2 cup warm milk or almond milk

2 1/ 2 tablespoons sugar

3 1/ 2 tablespoons unsalted butter or margarine

1 extra large egg

1 extra large egg yolk

1 tablespoon fresh orange juice

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 quarts sunflower oil or safflower oil for frying

1 (10 ounce) jar of seedless jam

Powdered sugar for dusting

Place flour, salt, and orange zest into a medium bowl.  In a glass pitcher or small bowl combine yeast, warm milk, and sugar; stir and set aside to proof.  Melt butter in another pitcher or small bowl.  Place egg and egg yolk in a third small bowl and beat with a whisk.  Add orange juice and vanilla to eggs. ^[3]

Make a well in the middle of flour.  Mix melted butter into the eggs and then, add liquid into well of flour.  Next, pour in proofed yeast with milk.  Using a wooden spoon gradually move around the flour well, scooping flour into liquid, similar to the technique for making pasta by hand.  Gradually moisten all of the flour.  Begin to gather up the ball of dough with your hands until it is smooth and elastic but not overmixed.  This dough is very soft and a little sticky.  Roll dough into a ball and flatten out into a disc in the bottom of the bowl.  Cover dough and set it aside to rise in a nice warm corner. ^[4]

While dough is rising, prepare a pan to deep fry Sufganiyot.  Pour oil into the pan or deep fryer to a depth of about 3 to 4 inches.  When dough is doubled in volume (about 1 hour), pre-heat oil to 355° to 360° F.  Prepare a cookie sheet lined in paper towel to drain sufganiyot after frying. ^[5]

To fill Sufganiyot you will need a pastry bag (I buy deposable plastic bags) and a pastry tip with a medium size hole.  While I was preparing the recipe, I used a narrow tip for filling and very quickly the hole became plugged with raspberry jam seeds.  Be sure to use seedless jam.

^[6]Next, sprinkle a bit of flour on work surface (I place a large silpat on my granite counter).   Use a rolling pin to roll out a rectangle about 1/ 2 inch thick.  Use a biscuit cutter  to cut out uniform circles 2 to 3 inches in diameter.  I discovered, that the smaller the circle the better they fry.  Gather scraps of dough and re-roll until all dough is used.  Let doughnuts rest for about 15-20 minutes to rise again.  When oil is the correct temperature add one sufganiyot to test the oil.  With a large spoon, scoop hot oil over the top side of sufganiyot while the bottom fries.  This causes the sufganiyot to poof up.  Flip sufganiyot over when the underside is golden.  Remove sufganiyot from oil when both sides are golden and puffed and place on lined cookie sheet to drain.  Continue to fry until they are all cooked.  Sufganiyot fry very quickly, turn down the oil temperature if they are cooking too rapidly. ^[7]

After cooling for a few minutes, sufganiyot may be filled.  Place jam in a plastic disposable pastry bag fitted with a medium tip.  Lightly hold the sufganiyot with one hand and poke tip into side; squeeze bag, withdraw tip.  ^[8] After they are all filled and cool dust with powdered sugar and serve. ^[9]