Sufganiyot add sugary treat to traditional Hanukkah meal
Not long ago, sufganiyot were almost unknown in the United States. At Hanukkah, Jews ate potato latkes, brisket and maybe a couple of those little coins made out of chocolate.
But that was when Hanukkah was a relatively unimportant event. Because it comes around at about the same time as Christmas, it has come to be treated as if it were a major holiday.
And a major holiday needs more than just potato pancakes, an inexpensive cut of meat and a bit of chocolate. So sufganiyot — basically, they are jelly doughnuts — made their way to these shores from Israel.
The reason for eating sufganiyot for Hanukkah is the same as latkes: They are fried in oil.
Hanukkah celebrates a miracle involving oil: When Jewish rebels entered the Second Temple, which they had liberated from the Seleucid Empire in 165 B.C., they found only enough oil to light the candelabra for one day. But according to legend, the lights stayed lit for eight days until more oil could be procured.
Over a couple of millennia, this story has come to be celebrated by eating fried foods. So why not doughnuts? Especially after Polish Jews settled in Israel, bringing with them the traditional Polish doughnut called pazcki, which some believe is the origin of sufganiyot.
As with all jelly doughnuts, sufganiyot consist of two parts, the jelly and the doughnut part.
I started with a refrigerator jam, which is ridiculously easy. Really, it should be harder to make something that good.
Refrigerator jam is made with no extra pectin, and it does not have to be carefully canned in jars sealed by immersing them in boiling water.
The down side is that refrigerator jam does not keep more than about three weeks, even in the fridge. On the other hand, I was putting it in doughnuts, which don’t stay fresh for more than a day. So no problem.
Next, I set about to make the doughnuts themselves. I decided to make two different recipes, to determine the differences between them.
They were small, but noticeable. One set, based on a recipe by Gil Marks, were lighter in texture (sufganiyot are a little denser than typical American doughnuts). Like bread, they needed to rise twice, but they were ready to fry the day they were prepared. And they were the familiar shape of jelly doughnuts we all know today.
The other set, from a recipe by Joan Nathan, were in the form of balls, which leaves less room in the middle for jam. They had an additional cinnamon flavor in the dough and were heavier in texture than Marks’ version, more like a dough fritter. They had to rise only once, but it was overnight in the refrigerator — meaning less work overall, especially on the day they were fried.
Nathan’s sufganiyot had a shorter shelf life than Marks’. But that’s not a big worry: With either batch, they’ll be gone the moment you bring them out.
Place metal spoon in freezer to chill. Combine strawberries, sugar and lemon juice in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium. Mash fruit with potato masher until fruit is mostly broken down. Simmer vigorously until fruit mixture thickens to jamlike consistency, 15 to 20 minutes.
To test for proper thickness and consistency, remove saucepan from heat, dip spoon into jam and allow jam to run off. Jam should fall slowly in a single thickened clump. If the jam is runny, return to mediumhigh heat and simmer 2 to 4 minutes before retesting. Transfer jam to jar with tight-fitting lid, let cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate.
Can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
(1 tablespoon): 24 calories, 0 protein, 6 g carbohydrates, 6 g sugar, 0 fat, 0 sodium
In the bowl of a stand mixer, dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Add 1 teaspoon of the sugar and let stand until foamy, 5 to 10 minutes.
Stir in the milk, the remaining ¼ cup minus 1 teaspoon sugar, butter, egg yolks, salt and 2 cups of the flour. On low or medium-low speed, beat in enough of the remaining flour to make a smooth, soft dough. Do not overmix. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until double in bulk, about 1½ hours.
Punch down the dough. On a lightly floured surface, knead until smooth, about 12 times.
Roll out the dough until ¼-inch thick. Using a biscuit cutter or glass, cut out 2½- to 3½-inch rounds. Place the dough rounds in a single layer on a lightly floured baking sheet, cover and let rise until double in bulk, about 1 hour.
In a heavy pot, heat at least 1 inch of oil or shortening over medium heat to 375 degrees. (If you don’t have a candy thermometer, the oil is ready when a cube of soft white bread turns brown in 35 seconds.)
Using an oiled spatula, carefully drop the doughnuts into the oil top-side down. Fry 3 or 4 at a time, without crowding the pan, until golden brown on all sides (the temperature of the oil should not drop below 350 degrees). Remove doughnuts with a slotted spoon or spider and drain on paper towels. Let cool to room temperature.
Pierce the edge of each doughnut with a thin knife and pivot it back and forth to form a pocket inside. Place the jelly in a pastry bag or zip-top bag with a 1¼-inch hole or nozzle tip and pipe it into the doughnut. Sprinkle with powdered sugar or roll in granulated sugar.
221 calories; 4 g protein; 25 g carbohydrates; 12 g fat; 3 g saturated fat; 17 mg cholesterol; 190 mg sodium; 1 g fiber; 14 g sugar. Nutrition analysis is an estimate.
Sprinkle the yeast and 2 tablespoons of the sugar into the water or milk and stir to dissolve.
Place the flour in a large bowl and make a well in the center. Add the yeast mixture, egg yolks, salt, cinnamon and the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Stir until mixed and knead well, about 5 minutes, working the butter into the dough and kneading until elastic. You can use a food processor to do this, processing about 2 minutes.
Put the dough in a greased bowl, cover with plastic and let it rise overnight in the refrigerator.
Sprinkle flour on the work surface. Roll out the dough to a
inch thickness. Using a 2-inch cookie cutter or floured drinking glass, cut out circles. Let the dough rise 15 minutes more.
With your hands, gently form the dough circles into balls.
Pour 2 inches of oil into a heavy pot and heat until very hot, about 375 degrees. Slip the doughnuts into the oil, 4 or 5 at a time, using a slotted spoon. Turn them when brown, after a few minutes, to crisp on the other side. Drain on paper towels and cool to room temperature.
Using a pastry bag, turkey baster or injector, inject 1 teaspoon of jam into each doughnut. Dust all over with powdered sugar or roll in granulated sugar and serve immediately.
(estimated) 142 calories; 3 g protein; 25 g carbohydrates; 3 g fat; 1 g saturated fat; 34 mg cholesterol; 25 mg sodium; 1 g fiber; 5 g sugar