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Sufganiyot (Hanukkah Jelly Doughnuts)

By Jessica Rudolph

Published on October 31, 2023

Time

1½ hours, plus 2½ hours rising

Yield

Makes 12 doughnuts

Sufganiyot (Hanukkah Jelly Doughnuts)

Ingredients

3½ cups (17½ ounces/496 grams) all-purpose flour 2¼ teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon Pinch ground nutmeg 1 cup milk 2 large eggs ⅓ cup (2⅓ ounces/66 grams) granulated sugar 1¼ teaspoons table salt 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces and softened2 quarts vegetable oil for frying1 cup strawberry jam Confectioners' sugar

Before You Begin

Heating the oil slowly makes it easier to control the temperature when frying. Use a large Dutch oven that holds 6 quarts or more. You can substitute any flavor jam you like (if it's too chunky to pipe, blitz it in the food processor until smooth) or use lemon curd, Nutella, or dulce de leche. If you prefer, you can coat the doughnuts in granulated sugar or our Vanilla Bean Sugar instead of confectioners' sugar. To do so, roll the doughnuts in sugar before filling them in step 6.

Instructions

  1. Stir flour, yeast, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in bowl of stand mixer fitted with dough hook. Add milk and eggs. Mix on low speed until dough comes together and no dry flour remains, about 2 minutes, scraping down bowl and dough hook as needed. Turn off mixer, cover bowl with dish towel or plastic wrap, and let stand for 20 minutes.
  2. Add granulated sugar and salt and mix on low speed until dough is smooth and elastic and clears sides of bowl, 5 to 7 minutes. With mixer running, add butter, a few pieces at a time. Increase speed to medium-low and continue to mix until butter is fully incorporated and dough is smooth and elastic, 8 to 12 minutes longer, scraping down bowl halfway through mixing.
  3. Transfer dough to lightly greased large bowl. Gather edges up and fold inward to form loose ball shape, then flip dough seam side down. Cover bowl tightly with plastic and let dough rise at room temperature until doubled in size, 1½ to 2 hours. (Unrisen dough can be refrigerated for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours; let sit at room temperature for 2 hours before rolling.)
  4. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly grease parchment. Transfer dough to floured counter and sprinkle with flour. Gently press dough to expel air, then press and roll dough to ½-inch thickness (approximately 10 by 13 inches). Using 3-inch round cutter dipped in flour, cut 12 rounds. (Reserve dough scraps for doughnut holes or discard.) Carefully transfer dough rounds to prepared sheet using thin metal spatula (flour spatula as needed). Cover sheet with plastic and let dough rise at room temperature until puffy, about 1 hour.
  5. About 20 minutes before end of rising time, add oil to large Dutch oven until it measures about 1½ inches deep and heat over medium-low heat to 335 degrees. Set wire rack in second rimmed baking sheet and line with triple layer of paper towels. Using both your hands, gently drop 4 dough rounds into hot oil and fry until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Adjust heat as needed to maintain oil temperature between 330 and 340 degrees. Transfer doughnuts to prepared rack. Return oil to 335 degrees and repeat with remaining doughnuts. Let cool almost completely, about 10 minutes.
  6. Discard paper towels, leaving doughnuts on rack. Spoon jam into pastry bag or zipper-lock bag fitted with ¼-inch round pastry tip. Working with 1 doughnut at a time, use chopstick or skewer to poke hole through top of each doughnut, about halfway through, rotating to widen opening to about ½ inch. Insert pastry tip into opening and squeeze gently until jam just starts to appear around opening, about 1 tablespoon jam per doughnut. Dust doughnuts with confectioners' sugar. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Sufganiyot (Hanukkah Jelly Doughnuts)

Save

Time

1½ hours, plus 2½ hours rising

Yield

Makes 12 doughnuts

Ingredients

3½ cups (17½ ounces/496 grams) all-purpose flour
2¼ teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast
⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch ground nutmeg
1 cup milk
2 large eggs
⅓ cup (2⅓ ounces/66 grams) granulated sugar
1¼ teaspoons table salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces and softened
2 quarts vegetable oil for frying
1 cup strawberry jam
Confectioners' sugar

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

3½ cups (17½ ounces/496 grams) all-purpose flour
2¼ teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast
⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch ground nutmeg
1 cup milk
2 large eggs
⅓ cup (2⅓ ounces/66 grams) granulated sugar
1¼ teaspoons table salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces and softened
2 quarts vegetable oil for frying
1 cup strawberry jam
Confectioners' sugar

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

3½ cups (17½ ounces/496 grams) all-purpose flour
2¼ teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast
⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch ground nutmeg
1 cup milk
2 large eggs
⅓ cup (2⅓ ounces/66 grams) granulated sugar
1¼ teaspoons table salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces and softened
2 quarts vegetable oil for frying
1 cup strawberry jam
Confectioners' sugar

Test Kitchen Techniques

Why This Recipe Works

To make fluffy, tender, and perfectly puffy jelly doughnuts, we started with an enriched dough. We mixed together flour, yeast, and a scant amount of warm spices (just enough to round out the flavor) with milk and eggs and then let it rest, which fully hydrated the flour and built a strong gluten network. Then we mixed in ample sugar and salt, kneaded the dough well, and slowly incorporated softened butter for richness. We allowed for a long rise to combat the heaviness from the added fat and then used plenty of flour when rolling out the soft, sticky dough and cutting it into rounds. After a second rise, we fried the doughnuts at a low temperature so that they didn't get too brown. Then we filled them with jelly from the top, which allowed for greater precision.

Before You Begin

Heating the oil slowly makes it easier to control the temperature when frying. Use a large Dutch oven that holds 6 quarts or more. You can substitute any flavor jam you like (if it's too chunky to pipe, blitz it in the food processor until smooth) or use lemon curd, Nutella, or dulce de leche. If you prefer, you can coat the doughnuts in granulated sugar or our Vanilla Bean Sugar instead of confectioners' sugar. To do so, roll the doughnuts in sugar before filling them in step 6.

Instructions

  1. Stir flour, yeast, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in bowl of stand mixer fitted with dough hook. Add milk and eggs. Mix on low speed until dough comes together and no dry flour remains, about 2 minutes, scraping down bowl and dough hook as needed. Turn off mixer, cover bowl with dish towel or plastic wrap, and let stand for 20 minutes.
  2. Add granulated sugar and salt and mix on low speed until dough is smooth and elastic and clears sides of bowl, 5 to 7 minutes. With mixer running, add butter, a few pieces at a time. Increase speed to medium-low and continue to mix until butter is fully incorporated and dough is smooth and elastic, 8 to 12 minutes longer, scraping down bowl halfway through mixing.
  3. Transfer dough to lightly greased large bowl. Gather edges up and fold inward to form loose ball shape, then flip dough seam side down. Cover bowl tightly with plastic and let dough rise at room temperature until doubled in size, 1½ to 2 hours. (Unrisen dough can be refrigerated for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours; let sit at room temperature for 2 hours before rolling.)
  4. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly grease parchment. Transfer dough to floured counter and sprinkle with flour. Gently press dough to expel air, then press and roll dough to ½-inch thickness (approximately 10 by 13 inches). Using 3-inch round cutter dipped in flour, cut 12 rounds. (Reserve dough scraps for doughnut holes or discard.) Carefully transfer dough rounds to prepared sheet using thin metal spatula (flour spatula as needed). Cover sheet with plastic and let dough rise at room temperature until puffy, about 1 hour.
  5. About 20 minutes before end of rising time, add oil to large Dutch oven until it measures about 1½ inches deep and heat over medium-low heat to 335 degrees. Set wire rack in second rimmed baking sheet and line with triple layer of paper towels. Using both your hands, gently drop 4 dough rounds into hot oil and fry until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Adjust heat as needed to maintain oil temperature between 330 and 340 degrees. Transfer doughnuts to prepared rack. Return oil to 335 degrees and repeat with remaining doughnuts. Let cool almost completely, about 10 minutes.
  6. Discard paper towels, leaving doughnuts on rack. Spoon jam into pastry bag or zipper-lock bag fitted with ¼-inch round pastry tip. Working with 1 doughnut at a time, use chopstick or skewer to poke hole through top of each doughnut, about halfway through, rotating to widen opening to about ½ inch. Insert pastry tip into opening and squeeze gently until jam just starts to appear around opening, about 1 tablespoon jam per doughnut. Dust doughnuts with confectioners' sugar. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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