Jelly Donuts: The Ultimate Hanukkah Dessert

While the potato latke is usually the headliner of any Hanukkah celebration, over the last few years the sufganiyot, an Israeli jelly donut, has been garnering increasing attention.  

The eight-day holiday commemorates the Maccabees’ successful reclaiming of the Temple from the Greeks, during which a single day’s worth of oil managed to last a full eight days. This is why Jews traditionally eat festive foods fried in oil and light the menorah.

Since making donuts might be a bit daunting for the average home cook, I asked celebrity chef Michael Solomonov, who is owner of Philly’s award-winning Israeli restaurant Zahav, and bakery (and fried chicken spot) Federal Donuts, as well as co-author of the new book, Israeli Soul: Easy, Essential, Delicious, for his signature Challah Sufganiyot recipe.

“This recipe is the one we’ve made at Zahav for many years,” says Solomonov. “Eggy challah dough is yeastier and adds so much character to the doughnut.” He balances the treat’s sweeter dough, enriched with butter and sugar, by filling it with a tart quince jam and coating it in floral rose sugar. But you can substitute any combination of filling and sugar coating your heart desires.

Over the years, Solomonov has picked up a few tips and tricks to streamline the process of cooking big meals and making sufganiyot in his restaurant that also apply to home cooks.

“Be sure to think critically about time management so you don’t drive yourself too nuts,” he says, adding that recipes that can be served at room temperature and don’t need requires constant reheating are key.

His sufganiyot recipe requires the dough to rise for about four hours, so you’ll be able to prepare the dough and the jam before your feast begins. His dough also doesn’t need to be rolled out as you would with a more traditional donut recipe. Instead, simply use an ice cream scoop to shape and drop the dough into the hot oil.

Above all else, Solomonov says the most essential thing to remember when making sufganiyot is to monitor the oil’s temperature: “Make sure you have a candy thermometer and a big enough pot for frying,” he says. “If you use a small pot and add too many doughnuts at once, it cools the oil down. The key is being able to fry really quickly.” Happy Hanukkah!

INGREDIENTS:

For the Donuts:

• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 1 packet Active dry yeast
• 1 cup Warm water
• 3 3/4 cups All-purpose flour
• 1 tsp Kosher salt
• 1 Tbsp plus 2 tsp Olive oil
• 3 Tbsp Canola oil, plus more for frying
• 1/2 cup Egg yolks (about 6 large yolks)
• 2/3 cup Butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups Quince (or other fruit) jam

For the Rose Petal Sugar:

• 1 cup Sugar
• 1/2 cup Crushed dried rose petals

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine the sugar, yeast, and water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Add the flour, salt, olive oil, canola oil, and egg yolks. Mix on low speed until the dough comes together and begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl, about 1 minute.
2. Gradually mix in the butter, mixing for another minute. Scrape down the side of the bowl and continue mixing for 2 more minutes. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise at room temperature until it has quadrupled in volume, about 4 hours.
3. Fill a large pot with a generous 2 inches of canola oil. Heat over medium heat until the oil registers 350°F on a candy thermometer. Line a baking sheet with paper towels.
4. Use an ice cream scoop to drop balls of dough into the hot oil, adjusting the heat as necessary to maintain the oil temperature. Fry the donuts in batches until golden, 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from the pot with a slotted spoon to drain on the prepared baking sheet. Let cool slightly.
5. To make the rose petal sugar, combine the sugar and crushed rose petals in a shallow bowl.
6. Poke a hole in each donut with the tip of a paring knife. Spoon the jam into a large resealable plastic bag, press out the air, and twist the top until the bag feels tight. Snip off a corner of the bag and squeeze the jam into each donut until a bit oozes out. Roll the filled donuts in the rose petal sugar. Serve warm.

*Makes about 24 donuts