Sufganiyot (Filled Doughnuts)

Name: Sufganiyot (Filled Doughnuts)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 2 h
Total time: 2 h
Yield: 16 doughnuts
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Ingredients: 500 g (3 ½ cups) all-purpose flour; 25 g fresh yeast (or 1 tbsp instant yeast); ½ cup (100 g) sugar; 1 cup (240 ml) milk; 1 large egg; 50 g (3 ½ tbsp) softened butter; 1 tsp (5 g) salt; Jam (for filling); Dulce de leche (for filling); Nutella (for filling)

AI Kitchen

Dec 27, 2024

These soft and airy sufganiyot (Israeli jelly doughnuts) are perfect for any festive occasion, especially Hanukkah. With a light, buttery dough and your choice of jam, Nutella, or dulce de leche filling, they’ll be the star of your dessert table! Plus, you can prep the dough overnight, making the day of frying quick and easy.

child holding a donut, half eaten with nutella stuffing

Jump to recipe

Alright, I admit I took a shortcut this time. I had ChatGPT generate a recipe, but I was so afraid to mess it up, given how much work and especially how stinky my house will get from deep frying. So, I searched online, found a recipe in Hebrew, and then asked ChatGPT to translate it into English. Naturally, I give credit to the original recipe. So this time, it is not ChatGPT created recipe per se, but a ChatGPT translation. Either way, it is helping me in the kitchen, so it is kosher in my opinion. Here's how it went:

I asked for a recipe:

Sufgania recipe

And it provided one:

Here’s a recipe for fluffy sufganiyot (Israeli jelly doughnuts) that rise overnight in the fridge for maximum convenience:

Ingredients:

Dough:

3 ½ cups (440g) all-purpose flour
2 ¼ tsp (1 packet) instant yeast
¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
½ tsp salt
2 large eggs
½ cup (120ml) warm milk (or water for non-dairy)
3 tbsp (45g) unsalted butter, softened (or non-dairy substitute)
1 tsp vanilla extract

For Frying & Filling:

2-3 cups non-seed oil (e.g., avocado or coconut oil) for frying
1 cup jam or jelly (e.g., raspberry or strawberry)
Powdered sugar for dusting

Instructions:

Prepare the Dough: In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, yeast, sugar, and salt. Add eggs, warm milk, and vanilla extract. Knead by hand or with a mixer until the dough comes together. Add softened butter and knead until smooth and elastic (5-7 minutes).
First Rise: Shape the dough into a ball, place it in a lightly greased bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Let it rise at room temperature for 1-2 hours until doubled in size.
Shape and Chill: Roll out the dough on a floured surface to ½-inch thickness. Use a round cutter (2-3 inches) to cut out circles. Place them on a parchment-lined tray, cover loosely, and refrigerate overnight.
Second Rise: Remove the dough from the fridge about an hour before frying to allow it to puff up slightly.
Fry the Sufganiyot: Heat non-seed oil in a deep pan or pot to 350°F (175°C). Fry 2-3 doughnuts at a time, about 1-2 minutes per side, until golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
Fill and Dust: Use a piping bag fitted with a long tip to inject jam into each doughnut. Dust generously with powdered sugar.

Let me know how they turn out!

It said to let rise overnight, and I was a little concerned it may have committed to memory that I like fermenting overnight with all my sourdough bread making, so I asked:

Why overnight?

It responded. It seemed reasonable:

Letting sufganiyot dough rise overnight in the fridge offers several benefits:

Improved Flavor: A slow, cold fermentation allows the yeast to develop deeper, more complex flavors in the dough, resulting in tastier sufganiyot.
Better Texture: The extended rise helps create a light, airy structure, making the doughnuts fluffier.
Convenience: Doing the work the night before saves time on the day of frying, perfect if you're juggling other preparations.
Easier Handling: Chilling the dough firms it up slightly, making it easier to roll out, cut, and shape without sticking or tearing.

If you're in a rush, you can skip the overnight step and let the dough rise at room temperature until doubled, but you might sacrifice some flavor and ease of shaping.

But I couldn't afford taking risks with these. So I searched for a recipe online, copied, and pasted:

Here's a recipe that I know works, help translate to standard English recipe: רכיבים לבצק סופגניות: 500 גרם קמח רב תכליתי 25 גרם שמרים טריים (או כף שמריים יבשים) חצי כוס סוכר (100 גרם) כוס חלב (240 גרם) ביצה L 50 גרם חמאה רכה כפית מלח (5 גרם) למילוי: ריבה ריבת חלב נוטלה הוראות הכנה בקערת המיקסר נניח חלב, שמרים, סוכר, ביצה וקמח ונפעיל עד קבלת בצק. נוסיף חמאה חתוכה לקוביות ומלח ונפעיל שוב ללישה של 8 דקות על מהירות בינונית עד קבלת בצק אחיד וחלק. נכסה את הבצק ונניח להתפחה עד הכפלת הנפח בטמפרטורת החדר או שנתפיח לילה במקרר. לאחר התפחת הבצק נחלק לכדורים של 60 גרם, כל כדור נפתח ונוציא לו את האוויר, נגלגל לעיגול אחיד ונלחץ מעט באזור של הסגירה (אם דביק ניתן לקמח מעט את משטח העבודה). כל סופגנייה נניח על חתיכת נייר אפייה, על כל הסופגניות נרסס ספרי שמן (כדי שלא יווצר קרום מלמעלה), נכסה בניילון ונתפיח בטמפרטורת החדר עד הכפלת הנפח (כשעה). בסיר רחב נחמם כליטר וחצי של שמן קנולה, ונביא לטמפרטורה של בין 165-160 מעלות צלזיוס מומלץ להיעזר במד חום, הטמפרטורה של השמן חשובה מאוד! אם השמן יהיה בטמפרטורה גבוהה מידי הסופגניה תראה לנו מוכנה מבחוץ והפנים ישאר בצק. מניחים את הסופגניה בשמן עם הנייר אפייה כלפי מעלה. כל סופגניה נטגן כ2-1.5 דקות מכל צד עד הזהבה. נוציא את הסופגניות מטיגון להצטנן על תבנית עם נייר סופג. בעזרת צנטר ניצור במרכז של כל סופגניה חור ונזלף לחור שיצרנו את המילוי, נבזוק מעל כל הסופגניות אבקת סוכר. וזה הכל תהנו!

Recipe below. Enjoy!

Servings: 16 doughnuts

Calories per Serving: ~250 calories (without filling)

Total Time: 2 hours (includes rise time)

Sufganiyot (Filled Doughnuts)

Ingredients

For the Dough:

500 g (3 ½ cups) all-purpose flour
25 g fresh yeast (or 1 tbsp instant yeast)
½ cup (100 g) sugar
1 cup (240 ml) milk
1 large egg
50 g (3 ½ tbsp) softened butter
1 tsp (5 g) salt

For Filling:

Jam
Dulce de leche
Nutella

Instructions

Prepare the Dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the milk, yeast, sugar, egg, and flour. Mix until a dough forms. Add the softened butter (cut into cubes) and salt, and knead on medium speed for 8 minutes, until the dough is smooth and uniform.
First Rise: Cover the dough and let it rise at room temperature until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Alternatively, you can refrigerate the dough overnight for a slow rise.
Shape the Doughnuts: Once the dough has risen, divide it into 16 portions (about 60 grams each). Flatten each portion to release any air, then roll it into a smooth ball. If the dough is sticky, lightly flour your work surface.
Second Rise: Place each dough ball on a square of parchment paper. Spray the doughnuts lightly with oil to prevent drying, cover with plastic wrap, and let them rise at room temperature for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
Fry the Doughnuts: Heat 1.5 liters of canola oil in a wide pot to 160–165°C (320–330°F). Use a thermometer to maintain the correct temperature. Gently place the doughnuts (parchment paper side up) into the hot oil. Fry for 1.5–2 minutes per side, until golden and crispy. Remove from the oil and place on a tray lined with paper towels to drain.
Fill and Dust: Once the doughnuts have cooled slightly, use a piping bag with a narrow tip to make a hole in the center of each doughnut. Fill with your choice of jam, dulce de leche, or Nutella. Finally, dust with powdered sugar before serving.