Israel's iconic Hanukkah doughnuts — light, pillowy yeast-raised doughnuts deep-fried in oil and filled with strawberry jam or pastry cream.
Sufganiyot (סופגניות, singular: sufganiyah) are Israel's most celebrated Hanukkah food — sold in bakeries and at street stands throughout December in quantities that boggle the imagination. The name derives from the Hebrew root meaning 'sponge,' reflecting the light, airy, slightly chewy texture of the fried dough. The tradition of eating foods fried in oil on Hanukkah commemorates the miracle of the Temple oil lasting eight days rather than one, and sufganiyot became the dominant Israeli Hanukkah food over latkes (potato pancakes) in the 20th century. The classic sufganiyah is a round, yeast-raised doughnut without a hole, fried until pale golden (they should not be dark — the exterior must stay soft), filled through a piped hole with strawberry jam, then dusted generously with icing sugar. Modern Israeli bakeries now offer elaborate versions filled with vanilla pastry cream, chocolate ganache, caramel, lotus biscoff, and every conceivable flavor, but the classic strawberry jam version remains beloved. The dough must be soft, pillowy, and slightly sweet — its great virtue is the pillowy lightness contrasting with the sticky-sweet jam inside.
Serves 16
Combine flour, yeast, sugar, and salt in a stand mixer bowl. Add eggs, warm milk, oil, vanilla, and orange zest. Mix with a dough hook on medium 8 minutes until smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky — it should not be stiff.
Sufganiyah dough is notably softer and stickier than bread dough — resist the urge to add more flour.
Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Rise at room temperature 1.5–2 hours until doubled in size, or refrigerate overnight for a more complex flavor.
Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Roll to 1.5 cm thickness. Cut rounds with a 6–7 cm cutter. Place on parchment-lined trays with space between.
Cover lightly with a clean cloth. Rise 30–45 minutes until noticeably puffed. Do not let them over-prove — they should look light and risen but not collapsing.
Properly proofed doughnuts spring back slowly when pressed gently with a fingertip.
Heat 1 liter of neutral oil in a heavy pot to 170°C — not hotter. Fry 3–4 doughnuts at a time for 2–3 minutes per side until pale golden. Israeli sufganiyot should be light gold, not dark brown.
170°C is the correct temperature — higher heat browns the outside before the inside cooks through.
Remove with a slotted spoon onto paper towels. Cool 5 minutes — they must be warm but not piping hot when filled or the jam will run uncontrollably.
Thin jam slightly with 1 tsp water if very thick. Transfer to a piping bag with a narrow nozzle. Push the nozzle into the side of each doughnut and pipe jam until you feel resistance. Dust heavily with icing sugar. Eat the same day.
170°C is the critical frying temperature — Israeli sufganiyot should come out pale gold, not dark. Darker frying means the exterior crust hardens before the dough inside cooks fully.
The dough should feel soft and slightly sticky — too much flour produces dense, tough doughnuts. Handle with lightly floured hands rather than adding flour to the dough.
Refrigerating the shaped doughnuts overnight (the cold second rise) produces lighter, more flavorful results than a quick room-temperature proof.
Vanilla custard sufganiyot: fill with homemade crème pâtissière instead of jam — popular in modern Israeli bakeries.
Chocolate ganache filling: pipe in a 50:50 cream-to-dark-chocolate ganache.
Dulce de leche sufganiyot: the caramel filling beloved by the Israeli-Argentinian community.
Sufganiyot are best eaten on the day they are made. Store at room temperature up to 1 day — they lose their lightness quickly. Do not refrigerate (the dough toughens) and do not freeze filled doughnuts. Unfilled fried doughnuts can be frozen 1 month and filled upon thawing.
Sufganiyot became established as Israel's Hanukkah food in the early 20th century, partly through deliberate promotion by the Histadrut (General Federation of Labor) in the 1920s, which encouraged sufganiyot over latkes as a way to support local bakery workers. The doughnut tradition itself draws on European Jewish fried pastry customs (German Berliner doughnuts and Polish ponchki), adapted to the Israeli climate and tastes. Today, millions of sufganiyot are sold in Israel every Hanukkah season.
Oil temperature that is too low is almost always the cause. If the oil is below 165°C, the dough absorbs oil rather than forming a crispy outer crust quickly. Maintain a consistent 170°C throughout frying and do not add too many doughnuts at once, which drops the oil temperature.
You can bake them at 180°C for 15 minutes, but the result is a bun, not a doughnut — the texture is entirely different. Sufganiyot derive their light, pillowy character from frying. Hanukkah itself celebrates oil — frying is part of the point.
Over-proofing in the second rise causes the gluten structure to weaken and collapse during or after frying. Proof only until noticeably puffed (not doubled again) and fry promptly. Under-proofing, conversely, produces dense doughnuts that don't cook through.
Per serving (90g / 3.2 oz) · 16 servings total
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