Jelly doughnuts for Hanukkah

Symbolism and the holiday season go hand in hand. For those of Jewish heritage who celebrate Hanukkah, there is more than one prominent symbol of the holiday that endures year after year. The widely recognizable menorah fits that bill, and jelly doughnuts have also withstood the test of time. Many Hanukkah celebrants enjoy a specific variety known as sufganiyot.

According to My Jewish Learning, jelly doughnuts are one of the more symbolic dishes associated with Hanukkah. Oily foods are made to represent the miracle of Hanukkah since the first celebration, and fried jelly doughnuts became tied to Hanukkah during the Middle Ages. Early on, they were known as “ponchiks” because they were modeled after the doughnuts served in Poland around Christmastime. But eventually they took the name sufganiyot, from the “spongy dough” mentioned in the Talmud.

Enjoy this recipe for sufganiyot, courtesy of Martha Stewart, for your next Hanukkah celebration.

SUFGANIYOT

Yield: 20

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons active dry yeast

½ cup warm water (100 to 110 F)

¼ cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar, plus more for rolling

2½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

2 teaspoons salt

3 cups vegetable oil, plus more for bowl

1 cup seedless raspberry jam

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine yeast, warm water and 1 teaspoon sugar. Set aside until foamy, about 10 minutes.

Place flour in a large bowl. Make a well in the center. Add eggs, the yeast mixture, 1/4 cup sugar, butter, nutmeg and salt. Using a wooden spoon, stir until a sticky dough forms.

On a well-floured work surface, knead until the dough is smooth, soft and bounces back when poked with a finger, about 8 minutes (add more flour, if necessary). Place in an oiled bowl; cover with plastic wrap. Set in a warm place to rise until doubled, 1 to 11⁄2 hours.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll dough to a 1/4-inch thickness. Using a 2 1/2-inch round cutter or drinking glass, cut 20 rounds. Cover with plastic wrap; let rise 15 minutes.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, heat the oil until a deep-frying thermometer registers 370 F. Using a slotted spoon, carefully slip 4 rounds into the oil. Fry until golden, about 40 seconds. Turn the doughnuts over, and fry until golden on the other side, another 40 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the doughnuts to a paper-towel-lined baking sheet. Roll in sugar while warm. Fry all the dough, and roll in sugar.

Fill a pastry bag fitted with a No. 4 tip with jam. Using a wooden skewer or toothpick, make a hole in the side of each doughnut. Fit the pastry tip into the hole, and pipe about 2 teaspoons of jam into the doughnut. Repeat with remaining doughnuts.