Jelly Doughnuts, Hanuka Doughnuts or Sufganiyot

Next month is Chanukah so the kids are all craving for these Jelly Doughnuts. Oh by the way - they are calorie bombs but so absolutely irresistible too.

Important : If you look at the ingredients you will notice it has the same ingredients we use in sweet bread.  The difference however is the amount of flour. If you do not be careful to add less flour you will make just sweet bread instead of doughnuts.
Often,  you get people who say they did not succeed in making Doughnuts. The dough has to be soft, sticky, elastic and spongy like cotton. It is difficult to handle when you add less flour but that is how you will get soft and spongy doughnuts..



Makes about 12 doughnuts.

Here's what you will need:

1/2 cup warm Milk
2 eggs
3 tsp instant dry yeast
3 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp Butter (soft but not melted)
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp Vanilla
3 to 3 1/2 cups flour
Oil for deep frying 
Filling - Jam, Nutella, Chocolate Ganache or Whipped cream
Powder sugar for dusting.

Method: 

In a cup or bowl - add 1/2 cup warm milk, yeast, sugar, salt, eggs - set aside for five minutes.
In another bowl add flour - make a well in the center and pour the yeast mixture.
Next add in the butter and continue to knead.
The dough will be soft and sticky, continue to knead for at least 7 to 10 minutes by hand (or 5 mins. in the mixer) on a floured surface adding only a few tablespoons of flour to help knead. Remember what I said above about the difference in doughnuts and sweet bread?
Let it be a bit sticky, soft as cotton and elastic.But still able to handle.
If it is too sticky add a bit of flour but not to much.
Sorry my hands were too sticky to handle the camera!

Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover and let rise until double in volume for about an hour.

Once double in volume.. invert on a floured surface. 

Roll to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. 

Cut out circles with a 3 inch  cookie cutter.

Place them on a parchment lined tray.
I'm quite clumsy with these and tend to mess them up at the time of deep frying so I cut small individual squares. That way I can pick each one up without deflating them.

Let rise again for an hour again.  Do not rush.. Let them rise so they will be soft and spongy like cotton with you deep fry them.

 Deep fry in med hot oil. (325F) 
You want the doughnuts to cook on the inside without over browning on the out side.
1 1/2 minute on one side then another minute on the other side.

Here they are all deep fried.

Fill them with Jam - You could put some jam in a pastry bag with a piping tip and fill them with Jam or Nuttella or Ganache  OR
If you lazy like me - just dig a hole with the back of a spoon and fill about 2 tsp of filling in each.

Dust them with powder sugar..
Look at him, he's all happy to serve them. He sure likes cooking projects with me.

And that's how you make Sufganiyot or Jelly Doughnuts.! 
I do hope you try making these... Remember the secret is - using less flour.

Until next time. Thanks for stopping by.