Hanukkah Beyond the Latke: Sufganiyot

Most Americans, when they think of Hanukkah dinner, think of latkes, crispy potato pancakes fried in oil and topped with either applesauce or sour cream depending on your personal predilections.

Latkes are a special holiday treat that my family looks forward to all year. But they are not the end-all and be-all of Hanukkah foods. Not even close! In truth, any food fried in oil is traditional for this holiday. That’s because Hanukkah commemorates a miracle from the second century BCE when, after a Jewish victory over the Greek army, a day’s worth of oil used to light the eternal flame in the temple lasted for eight days.

In Israel, for example, the food most associated with the festival of Hanukkah are fried jelly doughnuts known as sufganiyot. Israelis go mad for sufganiyot during Hanukkah with hundreds of thousands of the pastries sold throughout the country and newspapers holding competitions to see which bakery makes the best ones.

Sufganiyot are a fun project to tackle at home, especially if, like me, you have a stockpile of homemade jam left from the summer. But you can fill your sufganiyot with custard or even chocolate if that is more to your taste. Kids especially go crazy for these fried balls of deliciousness.

I used to think that frying food at home was a pain. Oil splattered everywhere, burning my arms and making a mess, and the house smelled for days. That all changed, however, when I started using the T-fal® EZ Clean Deep Fryer. Imagine frying food with no mess and no odor! Also, when the oil is heated to the proper temperature, which is easy to achieve with the EZ Clean Deep Fryer’s immersed heating element, the food absorbs less oil. The result is a light, and not greasy, doughnut.

Sufganiyot is made from a yeast-risen dough, so start the project several hours before you plan to fry your doughnuts. Begin by mixing the dough and kneading it until smooth. Allow the dough to rise for at least an hour in a warm place.

Then roll out the dough on a well-floured board. When rolling out dough, I always use my Epicurean Big Block cutting board because of its large size and because the rubber feet ensues that the board does not slide around on the countertop. Next, cut out circles of dough using a 3-inch round cookie or biscuit cutter. Allow the circles to proof for an additional thirty minutes prior to frying.

While the dough is proofing, preheat the oil in the fryer to 365 degrees. Then fry the dough in batches, turning the doughnuts once halfway through cooking. They only take a minute or so in the fryer so pay attention! Remove the doughnuts with a slotted spoon — I love my stainless steel slotted spoon by Calphalon — and drain on paper towels. When the doughnuts are cool enough to handle, make a small hole in the side and pipe in the jam using a piping bag outfitted with a 1/4 inch tip. Dust with powdered sugar and enjoy!

Your family will devour the hot, crispy sufganiyot until their fingers are sticky with jam and their mouths coated in powdered sugar. Latkes? Who needs latkes?