Sufganiyot

Sufganiyot 
(SOOF-gone-ee-OAT)
The best thing about Hanukkah? Pillowy, deep-fried donuts filled with strawberry jelly.

Many Jewish holidays revolve around eating specific, traditional foods: matzah for Passover, hamentaschen for Purim and challah bread for Shabbat. On Hanukkah, Jews celebrate the miracle of the long-lasting oil that lit the sacred lamp in an ancient temple. Rabbi John Rosove of Temple Israel of Hollywood explained the significance of oil for the holiday. "The oil of Hanukkah refers popularly to the oil in the Temple that miraculously lasted eight days during a seize in the time of the Maccabees when it was only enough for one." Accordingly, Hanukkah celebrations revolve around the miracle of oil, and the menu features fried foods. Crispy fried potato pancakes take center stage at the beginning of a Hanukkah dinner, and in Israel and elsewhere, jelly donuts, called sufganiyot, are the most popular Hanukkah food.

Ingredients

SERVINGS: MAKES ABOUT 16

1 1/4-oz. envelope active dry yeast (about 2 1/4 tsp.)

 3-4 cups all-purpose flour, divided, plus more for surface

 1 tablespoon plus ¼ cup sugar

2 large egg yolks

1 large egg

1/2 cup warm whole milk

1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest

2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into pieces, plus more

Frying And Assembly

Vegetable oil (for frying; about 8 cups)

1 1/2 cups strawberry jelly

Powdered sugar (for dusting)

Special Equipment

A deep-fry thermometer

Piping bag, and 1/4" round tip

2 1/2"-diameter biscuit or cookie cutter

Preparation

MAKE The DOUGH
- Combine yeast, 1 Tbsp. flour, 1 Tbsp. sugar, and 2 Tbsp. warm water in a bowl; let stand until yeast starts to foam, about 5 minutes.

  - Whisk in egg yolks, whole egg, milk, orange zest, orange juice, salt, vanilla, 2 cups flour, and remaining 1/4 cup sugar.  Add in yeast mixture. Mix on low speed with dough hook until combined, about 2 minutes.

  - Add 6 Tbsp. butter 1 piece at a time, mixing well between additions. (Any small lumps of butter will get worked into dough when more flour is added.) 

  - Gradually add remaining 2 cups flour (you may not need all of it), mixing until mostly combined between additions, until dough is soft, smooth, and shiny—the dough will begin to pull away from the sides of bowl and climb up dough hook.

KNEAD AND PROOF THE DOUGH

  - Turn dough out onto a floured work surface and knead, adding more flour as needed, until no longer sticky, about 5 minutes.

  - Transfer to a buttered bowl, turn to coat, and cover with a clean kitchen towel.

  - Let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

CUT The DOUGH

  - Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface until 3/4" thick. Using a floured cutter, cut out rounds of dough, twisting cutter to release the dough (this strengthens the edges so the dough puffs when frying). Reroll scraps once.

  - Transfer rounds of dough to a parchment-lined baking sheet and cover loosely with another kitchen towel. Let rise until not quite doubled in size, 40–50 minutes.

  - If you are not ready to fry dough, refrigerate rounds up to 3 hours.

FRY The DOUGH

  - Heat oil in large pot (or fryer) to 350 degrees F. *I kept thermometer in oil the whole time to maintain temperature.*

  - Gently place, either with hands or slotted spoon, 4-6 dough rounds into oil.  Leave on each side 20-30 seconds each. 

  - Remove with slotted spoon onto paper towel lined tray.

  - Repeat until all dough has been fried

FILL The DOUGH

  - Use the tip of a knife to create a hole on the top of each donut
  - Add piping tip to pastry bag, then add flavored jelly *I used Strawberry Smuckers*

  - Fill piping bag halfway with jelly.

  - Begin filling donuts with jelly.

  - Once all donuts have been filled, dust with powdered sugar.

  - Serve immediately. Enjoy!

RESULT:
This was the 2nd time I successfully made Sufganiyot.  The first time, about four years ago (2011), was in a professional kitchen, with a true fryer.  The recent time was in my home kitchen, using a large soup pot with a candy thermometer to regulate the temperature of the oil.  Two different set ups, same outcome.  
This is truely an easy recipe to follow, from a home cook standpoint.  The dough is simple to execute, following the recipe to a T.  

When rolling out the dough, do not roll too thin.  Also, do not re-roll the dough, as the final product doesn't puff when frying.  
Keep an eye on the temperature of the oil.  It is very easy for the temp to rise from 350 to 400 in the blink of an eye.