Strawberry Sufganiyot: Donuts for Hanukah

Enjoyed in Israel and around the world!

Ingredients for Dough

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

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

1 Tablespoon plus ¼ cup sugar

2 large egg yolks and 1 large egg

½ cup warm whole milk

2 Tablespoons fresh orange juice and ½ teaspoon finely grated orange zest

1 Tablespoon brandy (optional)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into pieces, plus more

Frying and Assembly

Vegetable oil, for frying, about 8 cups

1 & 1/2 cups strawberry jam

Powdered sugar (for dusting)

Special Equipment

A deep-fry thermometer, piping bag and ¼” round tip, 2 & 1/2”-diameter biscuit or cookie cutter

Recipe Preparation – Make the Dough

Combine yeast, 1 Tbsp. flour, 1 Tbsp. sugar, and 2 Tbsp. warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer. Let stand until yeast starts to foam. (About 5 minutes.) Whisk in egg yolks, whole egg, milk, orange zest, orange juice, brandy, if using, salt, vanilla, 2 cups flour, and remaining ¼ cup sugar. Mix on low speed with dough hook until combined. (About 2 minutes.)

Add 6 Tbsp. butter, I 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.) Mix until mostly combined until the dough is soft, smooth and shiny – the dough will begin to pull away from the sides of bowl and climb up dough hook. Don’t have a stand mixer? You can get the same results by mixing with a sturdy wooden spoon and kneading on a lightly floured surface.

Knead and Proof the Dough

Turn dough 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 ¾” 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.) Re-roll scraps once. Transfer rounds to a parchment-lined baking sheet and cover loosely with another clean kitchen towel. Let rise until not quite doubled in size, about 40 – 50 minutes. If you are not ready to fry the dough, refrigerate rounds for up to 3 hours.

Fry the Dough

Fit a large, fairly deep, heavy saucepan with deep-fry thermometer. Pour in vegetable oil to measure 4”. Heat over medium-high heat until thermometer registers 350 degrees. Working in batches, fry dough until golden, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Let cool slightly before filling.

Fill and Finish the Sufganiyot

Pulse jam in a food processor until smooth. Scrape jam into piping bag fitted with a ¼” tip. Inset tip into top of sufganiyot and gently fill until jam just pokes out of the hole. Dust with powdered sugar just before serving.