During the Greek rule of the Jewish Holy Land, the Hellenists attempted to destroy everything that was connected to Jewish life, even utterly defiling the Holy Temple.
The Chanukah Miracle
A small band of Jewish, the Maccabees, successfully defeated the Greeks and worked to purify the Temple. However, when they prepared to light the Temple's Menorah (the seven branched candelabrum required to be lit daily), they discovered only one container of uncontaminated olive oil remained.
Having no other choice, they lit the Menorah with what was only the single days worth of oil. Yet to their amazement it continued to burn for eight days, the same amount of time required for new oil to be prepared. To publicize this miracle, the sages commemorated the holiday of Chanuka during which lights are kindled on each of the eight nights.
Traditional Chanukah Foods
Among many customs observed during the holiday, one of the favorite gustatory customs involves eating foods that are fried in oil which commemorate the miracle of Chanukah. One of the most traditional foods to fulfill this criterion is latkes (potato pancakes), however, many individuals, especially in Israel, prefer to eat Sufganiot or jelly filled donuts. While there are numerous recipes for making these special pastries, a somewhat unusual version is provided below which includes various alterations and additions guaranteed to satisfy every palette.
Ingredients:
- 1 ounce yeast
- 3 Tbsp. sugar (based on taste)
- ¼ cup water
- 3 cups flour
- 1 large egg and 1 egg yolk
- 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. ground allspice
- Grated zest of one orange
- 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- dash of salt
- 1 Tbsp. flour
- 1/4 cup margarine, (can be substituted with butter or vegetable shortening as desired) melted
- 1 cup water at room temperature (1 cup luke warm milk or half and half can be substituted for a richer batter)
- 1 /2 cup jelly, jam or preserves (apricot preserves and orange jam, work particularly well with this recipe though strawberry, plum and raspberry jelly or jam are also popular)
- oil for deep frying (canola is recommended, though peanut or safflower can also be used)
- powdered sugar
Cooking Instructions
1. Dissolve the yeast and 1 tablespoon of sugar in ¼ cup water.
2. Put the flour in the bowl of a food processor equipped with a steel blade. Add the dissolved yeast, the rest of the water or milk, egg, egg yolk, the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar and the next 7 ingredients. Process until blended. Add the margarine (butter, vegetable shortening) and blend until the dough becomes sticky yet elastic. For the best consistency, knead dough by hand, adding small amounts of additional flour as necessary, until the dough becomes smooth.
3. Remove the dough to a greased bowl, turning to make sure top is also greased. and let rise in a warm place for at least an hour, until light and doubled in volume. Punch down dough.
4. Sprinkle flour on your work surface. Roll out the dough to an 1/4-inch thickness. Using a 2-inch cookie cutter or the top of a glass, cut into circles. Let the dough circles rise 30 minutes or until light and almost doubled.
5. Form the dough circles into balls with your hands being careful not to handle the dough more than necessary.
6. Pour 2- 3 inches of oil into a heavy pot or sauce pan and heat until 350- 375 degrees F (190 C) or until a small piece of dough bubbles vigorously when dropped into the oil.
7. Carefully place 4 or 5 doughnuts into the oil at a time, using a slotted spoon. After a few minutes, turn them and crisp on the other side. Drain on paper towels. (While other recipes fry the sufganiot with the filling inside, this can result in the filling leaking out during the cooking process).
8. Drain cooked doughnuts on paper towels. When cool enough to handle fill doughnuts with about 1 Tbsp of filling by inserting the tip of a pastry bag or turkey baster into the bottom of the doughnut and pushing it forward until it reaches about the center.
9. Roll donuts in powdered sugar or just sprinkle each side if you prefer a less sweet version.
Enjoy!
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