Celebrate The Start of Hanukkah With Sufganiyot (Challah Donuts)

Parade

Challah donuts

Jelly-filled donuts, or sufganiyot, are a classic Hanukkah dessert otherwise known as Challah Donuts. And Chef Michael Solomonov, the Israeli-born winner of 2017's James Beard Outstanding Chef of the Year Award, has shared his delicious recipe with Parade for you to enjoy, as you celebrate.

Related: 49 Classic Hanukkah Recipes To Serve at Your Festival of Lights Dinner

For more of Solomonov's mouth-watering donut recipes, check out his book, Federal Donuts: The (Partially) True Spectacular Story, which also chronicles the rise of his popular Philadelphia restaurant, Zahav.

Sufganiyot (Challah Donuts) Recipe

Ingredients

  • 2 lb quince

  • 1 cup sugar

  • 2 cinnamon sticks

Filling

  1. Peel the quince, cut into quarters, and place in a small bowl. Let the quince macerate overnight in the sugar to bring out its natural sweetness.

  2. Preheat the oven to 250º F. Spoon the quince and its juice into a small pot with the cinnamon sticks. Cover and bake in the oven for approximately 4 hours until the quince are soft and completely cooked down. Remove the pot from the oven and let cool slightly before adding the mixture to the food processor. Process the quince on medium speed until it becomes a smooth jelly.

Donuts

  1. Add the flour, salt, 6 ½ tablespoons of sugar and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the oils, yolks, and water into the bowl. Mix on low speed until the dough comes together – approximately 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium and add the butter gradually over the course of the next minute. Continue to mix on medium speed for two more minutes or until all the butter has been incorporated into the dough.

  2. Place dough into a large oiled bowl and cover with a clean towel. Set aside in a warm place to allow the dough to rise until it’s roughly double in size – approximately 1 ½ - 2 hours.

  3. When the dough is fully proofed, fill a large pot ⅔ of the way full with canola oil and heat until it reaches 350º F on a thermometer. Using a small ice cream scoop or two spoons, drop spoonfuls of batter into the hot oil, being careful not to crowd the pot. Fry the donuts for approximately 3-4 minutes, flipping once to cook the other size. Place the donuts on a cooling rack and let drain. Place the remaining granulated sugar in a small bowl. Transfer the still-warm donuts to the sugar. Roll to cover completely, and serve hot.

To Assemble

  1. Spoon the quince jelly into a piping bag with a metal tip. Poke a small hole in the side of each donut, pipe a generous amount of jelly into each donut, and serve.

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