Combine yeast, water, and sugar:
In a small bowl, combine yeast, warm water, and 1 teaspoon sugar. Set aside until foamy, about 10 minutes.
Add eggs, yeast mixture, and butter to flour to form dough:
Place flour in a large bowl. Make a well in the center; add eggs, yeast mixture, 1/4 cup sugar, butter, nutmeg, and salt. Using a wooden spoon, stir until a sticky dough forms.
Knead dough:
On a well-floured work surface, knead until dough is smooth, soft, and bounces back when poked with a finger, about 8 minutes (add more flour, if necessary).
Place in bowl and set aside to rise:
Place in an oiled bowl; cover with plastic wrap. Set in a warm place to rise until doubled, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Roll dough and cut out rounds:
On a lightly floured work surface, roll dough to 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.
Heat oil and fry donuts:
In medium saucepan over medium heat, heat oil until a deep-frying thermometer registers 370°F. Using a slotted spoon, carefully slip 4 rounds into oil. Fry until golden, about 40 seconds. Turn doughnuts over; fry until golden on other side, another 40 seconds.
Roll doughnuts in sugar:
Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper-towel-lined baking sheet. Roll in sugar while warm. Fry all dough, and roll in sugar.
Fill with jam:
Fill a pastry bag fitted with a #4 tip with jam. Using a wooden skewer or toothpick, make a hole in the side of each doughnut. Fit the pastry tip into a hole, pipe about 2 teaspoons jam into doughnut. Repeat with remaining doughnuts.
Storage
Homemade doughnuts like sufganiyot are best enjoyed the day they are made. If you have any leftovers, store them in an airtight container at room temperature and eat within a day. Don’t store them in direct sunlight as this would cause them to sweat and become soggy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between paczki and sufganiyot?
In Poland, jelly doughnuts are called paczki which means flower buds. Traditionally, they were fried in lard which sets them apart from sufganiyot, which are fried in oil.
What is the difference between a yeast doughnut and a regular doughnut?
The difference between a yeast doughnut and other types of doughnuts is how they are leavened. Yeast doughnuts are made with yeast, whereas baked or cake doughnuts use a chemical leavener, such as baking powder or baking soda.
Other Doughnut Recipes to Try:
FAQs
These deep-fried delicacies have become popular in Israel as a way to symbolize the miracle of the oil lamps that burned one day's supply of oil for eight days in the ancient Holy Temple in Jerusalem.
What is sufganiyot Hanukkah? ›
Sufganiyah (Hebrew: סופגנייה or סופגניה, Hebrew: [ˌsufɡaniˈja]; pl. : sufganiyot, Hebrew: סופגניות, Hebrew: [ˌsufɡaniˈjot], or in Yiddish pontshke פּאָנטשקע) is a round jelly doughnut eaten in Israel and around the world on the Jewish festival of Hanukkah.
What kind of donuts do you eat for Hanukkah? ›
Jelly donuts are one of the most symbolic dishes of Hanukkah, but have you ever wondered how that came to be?
What is the difference between sufganiyot and donuts? ›
Sufganiyot are typically round, similar to a cross between a beignet and a jelly doughnut. Unlike other Western doughnuts, they usually don't have a hole and are filled with sweet fillings like jelly or custard.
What are some facts about jelly filled donuts? ›
Jelly- or custard-filled doughnuts are known as sufganiyot in Hebrew and are a popular Hanukkah treat. They are cooked in oil which is in keeping with the theme of the holiday, celebrating one day's worth of oil "keeping a sacred lamp alight for eight."
What is the nutritional value of sufganiyot? ›
Nutritional Info: Per serving: 1 donut, 360 calories (120 from fat), 14g total fat, 12g saturated fat, 15mg cholesterol, 130mg sodium, 53g carbohydrates (2g dietary fiber, 22g sugar), 6g protein.
Why do we eat fried food on Hanukkah? ›
Why fried? Fried foods, like potato pancakes and jelly doughnuts, are prepared and eaten throughout the holiday to celebrate the miracle of Hanukkah: oil that kept the menorah (an ancient lamp) lit for 8 days instead of the 1 day it was supposed to last.
Who invented the jelly doughnut? ›
The first known recipe for a jelly doughnut, according to historian Gil Marks, can be found in the 1532 German cookbook Kuchenmeisterei, which translates to “Mastery of the Kitchen” and is remembered by history for being one of the first cookbooks run off of Gutenberg's famed printing press.
How to keep sufganiyot fresh? ›
Sufganiyot will always be best the same day they are fried. If you're frying them to be eaten later in the day, leave them on the cooling rack and fill and garnish just before serving. If holding filled sufganiyot for more than 4 hours, you'll want to store them in the fridge in a covered container.
What to bring to a Hanukkah party? ›
Gift-giving is a relatively new tradition that sprung up because Hanukkah happens during the holiday season, so when bringing gifts, don't go overboard. Books, jewelry, and food can be appropriate Hanukkah presents – but make sure any food is kosher.
Called sufganiyot in Hebrew, this confection is a Chanukah treat throughout the Jewish world. Deep-fried jelly doughnuts recall the oil that burned miraculously for eight days in the second-century BCE Temple in Jerusalem.
What is a jelly-filled donut called? ›
Whether you call them Berliner, Bismark, Krapfen, Sufganiyot or Paczki, they're all just a deep fried, jelly donut. To be clear, they all use a commercial baking jelly, which has less pectin than table jelly and it's a bit runnier for easier piping.
What does sufganiyot symbolize? ›
A cross between a beignet and a jelly donut, sufganiyot are pillowy donuts eaten in Israel and around the world during Hanukkah, when foods fried in oil symbolize the miracle of oil that burned for eight days instead of one in the Hanukkah story.
What are two fried treats served during Hanukkah? ›
Fried foods, like potato pancakes and jelly doughnuts, are prepared and eaten throughout the holiday to celebrate the miracle of Hanukkah: oil that kept the menorah (an ancient lamp) lit for 8 days instead of the 1 day it was supposed to last.
Why do we eat potato pancakes on Hanukkah? ›
These potato pancakes (called latkes) are meant to symbolize the miracle of Hanukkah, when the oil of the menorah in the ransacked Second Temple of Jerusalem was able to stay aflame for eight days even though there was only enough oil for one day. The symbolism comes in the form of the oil in which latkes are fried.
Why are oily foods eaten during Hanukkah? ›
Fried foods are an important part of the traditional Hanukkah dinner because they represent the small amount of oil that miraculously burned for 8 days instead of just one when the Jews rededicated the Temple after overcoming oppression.
What is Hanukkah candy? ›
In the 20th century, candy manufacturers started selling Hanukkah-themed chocolate coins wrapped in gold or silver foil, as a substitute or supplement to real money gifts. Hanukkah gelt. Chocolate gelt. Alternative names. Gelt, Dmei chanukah.
