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Sufganiyot · Jelly-Filled

Jelly-Filled Sufganiyot (Hanukkah Doughnuts)

Soft, lightly sweet yeast doughnuts fried golden, piped full of jam and dusted with powdered sugar: the Hanukkah treat that celebrates the oil. Hot-oil safety is built into the steps.

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Prep
40 min
Cook
30 min
Total
3 hr 20 min
Serves
16 · About 16 doughnuts
Level
Hard

Ingredients

Dough

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled (375 g), plus more for rolling
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 ¼ tsp instant yeast, 1 packet (7 g)
  • ¾ tsp kosher salt
  • ¾ cup whole milk, warmed to 100 to 110°F
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened

Frying

  • 8 cups vegetable oil, for frying (about 2 quarts)

Filling

  • 1 cup strawberry jam, or any smooth jam
  • ½ cup powdered sugar, for dusting

Steps

  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the flour, sugar, yeast and salt.
  2. Add the warm milk, eggs and vanilla and mix with the dough hook on low until a shaggy dough forms.
  3. With the mixer on medium-low, add the soft butter a tablespoon at a time, then knead until the dough is smooth, stretchy and pulls away from the bowl.
  4. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise in a warm spot until doubled.
  5. Cut 16 squares of parchment about 4 inches across and lay them on a sheet pan.
  6. On a lightly floured counter, roll the dough 1/2 inch thick and cut 2 1/2-inch rounds. Press the scraps together, let them rest a few minutes and cut again.
  7. Set each round on a parchment square, cover loosely with a towel and let rise until puffy and light.
  8. Set up to fry safely: pour the oil into a heavy, deep pot so it's at least 3 inches deep but no more than halfway up the sides. Clip on a deep-fry thermometer, use a back burner, and keep the pot's lid and a sheet pan within reach. Keep children and pets away from the stove.
  9. Heat the oil in the pot over medium heat to 350°F (175°C). Never leave hot oil alone, and if it starts to smoke, turn off the heat.
  10. Lift 3 or 4 doughnuts by their paper and gently turn each into the oil, paper side up, lowering it close to the surface so it doesn't splash. Pull the paper off with tongs once it lets go. Don't crowd the pot.
  11. Deep-fry until deep golden on the bottom.
  12. Flip with a spider and deep-fry the second side until deep golden.
  13. Lift them out onto a rack set over a sheet pan. Let the oil come back to 350°F before the next batch, adjusting the heat to keep it between 340 and 360°F. Break open the first one to check it's cooked through.
  14. When the last batch is done, turn off the burner and leave the pot where it is until the oil is completely cool. Never move or pour hot oil.
  15. Let the doughnuts cool until just warm.
  16. Spoon the jam into a piping bag with a long, narrow tip (or a zip-top bag with a corner snipped off). Poke a hole in the side of each doughnut with a skewer and wiggle it to make a pocket.
  17. Pipe about 1 tablespoon of jam into each doughnut, until it feels a little heavier.
  18. Dust generously with powdered sugar through a fine-mesh strainer and serve the same day.

Tip: If a pot of oil ever catches fire, turn off the burner and slide the lid on. Never use water or flour on a grease fire, and keep a fire extinguisher rated for kitchen fires nearby.

Tip: Once the oil is completely cool, strain it and keep it covered for another fry, or seal it in a container and put it in the trash. Never pour oil down the drain.

Tip: If the outsides brown before the centers cook, the oil is too hot; lower the heat a little and let it settle.

Storage: Best the day they're made. Keep leftovers loosely covered at room temperature up to 1 day.

Make ahead: Make the dough the night before: after kneading, cover and refrigerate it up to 12 hours in place of the first rise. Let it sit out 30 minutes, then roll, cut and rise as written.

Estimated nutrition per serving: 210 calories · protein 4 g · carbohydrates 39 g · fiber <1 g · sugars 17 g · fat 4 g (saturated 2 g) · sodium 105 mg. Estimate from USDA FoodData Central; not medical or dietary advice. Based on 10 of 10 ingredients.