Churros, Bimuellos, Berliners, Oliebollen or Zepppole… every culture has its beloved fried dough recipe. Who can refuse pillowy dough, warm and sweet, dusted with sugar, drizzled with sugar, hot and delicious? Not me! SInce the holiday is based on the MIracle of Oil Hanukkah serves as an excuse to go all out, take out those pans, load up on the oil and start frying… Latkes (potato pancakes) are the most well known, though plenty of variations flourish in Israeli kitchens. Try these for a change! But I digress… Back to Sufganiot!

During my childhood my mom would make 2 main recipes, both delicious - lucky me! The first, made with baking powder, eggs and flour created a sticky loose dough that did not need rising time and could not be rolled out. Using 2 spoons she would drop small portions of the batter into the hot oil and as I watched, fascinated and enthralled, the batter developed into an odd bulbous shape, sending tendrils into the hot oil. Deftly my mom would scoop these alien shapes out and drench them in powdered sugar. Sweet, crispy and fluffy, these Sufganiot would paint my fingers as well as my face white, as I would snarf them down hot, ignoring my singed tongue.

The second recipe included yeast, brandy and lemon zest, requiring a long rise and little children’s patience…But the result was a Sufgania with delicate crumb, heavenly aroma and unrivaled flavor. My mom sure has a way with the little yeasty critters! So obviously, I set out to recreate it for my kids and my search led me to Carine Goren (The Israeli queen of baking). Very close to my mom’s recipe, these Sufganiot would fill my kitchen with delicate aroma and my kids’ fingers would always reach for them… and ask for more. The classic jelly filled was not a favorite of my kids, so we ended up with Nutella filling, or plain cinnamon sugar topping most of time. However, let your imagination be your guide and try Halvah , white chocolate, dulce de leche, or even marshmallow fluff fillings. And don’t neglects those toppings! They can be as creative too, following the same flavor profile of the fillings!

Roll out your sleeves and try out my adaptation of Carine Goren’s Sufganiot recipe and let me know what you think!!

Carine Goren’s Bakery Style Israeli Sufganiot