For Monday Morning Cooking Club’s Lisa Goldberg, nothing says Chanukah quite like sufganiyot – the delicious hot jam doughnuts she shared with her father as a child.
Makes 14
30 mins, plus 2 hrs resting
Ingredients
- 2¼ tsp (1 sachet/7g) active dry yeast
- 450g (3 cups) plain flour, plus extra
- 55g (¼ cup) caster sugar, plus extra
- 60g unsalted butter, melted
- 2 egg yolks
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ cup thickened raspberry jam (see note)
- Oil, for deep-frying
Cook's note
To make thickened raspberry jam, place 2 cups of jam in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the mixture has reduced to about 1¾ cups, around 15 minutes. Allow to cool and refrigerate until needed.Method
1
In a small bowl, combine the yeast with 1 tablespoon of the flour, 1 tablespoon of the caster sugar and 310ml (1¼ cups) of warm water. Mix well and allow to stand for 10 minutes, or until the mixture becomes frothy, to ensure the yeast is active.
2
Place all of the remaining flour in a separate large mixing bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the remaining sugar, melted butter, egg yolks and salt to the well and beat to combine, keeping the mixture in the well.
3
Add the frothy yeast mixture to the well and mix to combine. Slowly bring in the flour mixture while stirring until all the flour is incorporated and you have a soft dough. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and set aside to rise in a warm place for 1½ hours or until the dough has doubled in volume.
4
Remove the dough from the mixing bowl and punch down on a lightly floured benchtop. Roll it out until 1.5cm thick. Use a 6cm round cookie cutter to cut circles out of the dough.
5
Place 1 teaspoon of jam in the middle of one circle of dough and then cover with another circle. Press and seal the edges together so the circles form a closed disc encasing the jam. Place on a floured tray.
6
Cover the doughnuts with a clean, slightly damp tea towel and allow to rise until puffed up (about 45 minutes).
7
Line a large plate with several layers of paper towel and set aside. Pour 5cm of oil into a deep, heavy-bottomed pot. Heat over medium-high heat until a sugar/deep-fry thermometer registers 180°C. If you don’t have a thermometer, test the oil by dropping a small piece of dough into it; the dough should sizzle immediately and start to turn golden brown without burning too quickly.
8
Working in batches, carefully slip the doughnuts into the oil, taking care not to crowd the pot. Fry the doughnuts for about 2–3 minutes per side or until puffed and golden. Carefully remove the doughnuts with a slotted spoon and transfer to the towel-lined plate to drain. Cool slightly, roll in extra caster sugar and serve immediately.
