My childhood donut was the jelly donut from the Helm’s truck. When that went away, I became attached to Bob’s in the Farmers Market at Third and Fairfax. Since the sad onset of adulthood, I rarely eat them until Hanukkah comes around, and I feel like it’s a cultural imperative. Hanukkah foods often focus on frying, so latkes are at the center of the table. But when it comes to the sweet side of things, jelly donuts or “sufganiyot” are a must-eat. But why?
Gil Marks, a historian specializing in foods of the Jewish diaspora, points to lard-fried jelly donuts published in a 1482 cookbook Kuchenmeisterei or Mastery of the Kitchen. The recipe spread throughout Eastern and Middle Europe. Jews switched out the lard for schmaltz or chicken fat. Many variations of these treats came to Israel with immigrants, and met other fried-dough treats like the Moroccan sfenj and deep-fried bunuelos drizzled with honey. Eventually a labor union popularized the treat. Here’s a link to the history of jelly donuts and Hanukkah.
We have many places in Southern California to buy jelly donuts. Nearly every donut shop you normally patronize will have them, as will most kosher and artisanal bakeries. Call to make sure. And if you’re entertaining, order them ahead so you’re not caught short. But if you’re adventurous and are looking to focus on a project, why not make them yourself? For several years, I made donuts each New Year’s Day for hordes of people. I found that as long as I was organized, it wasn't difficult.
Where to find jelly donuts for Hanukkah:
Donut shops
Bob’s Coffee and Donuts
3rd and Fairfax
Primo’s Donuts
Sawtelle and Canoga Park
Dad’s Donuts
Burbank
Flour Donuts
Western Ave.
The Donut Man
Glendora and Grand Central Market
Seasonal artisanal
Friends and Family
East Hollywood
Jyan Isaac Bread
Ocean Park
Petitgrain Boulangerie
Santa Monica
Jewish bakeries
Schwartz Bakery
Pico-Robertson
Fred’s Bakery
Pico-Robertson
I will admit that it helps to have a deep fryer appliance. They’re not terribly expensive, and maybe it’s your holiday present to yourself this year. Here is Wirecutter’s pick. If you don’t want to invest, then your best bet for safe deep-frying is a Dutch oven and a clip-on thermometer.
Yeasted donut doughs tend to be enriched with milk and/or eggs. They are easy to make. I’ve chosen one to share with you from Tori Avey. It’s extremely detailed and does the trouble-shooting for you. One tweak I would make is to prepare the dough the evening before and allow it to rise in the refrigerator. It will be much easier to roll and cut the next day, and your kitchen will be free from the initial mixing messiness. One of the quirky parts of making jelly donuts is that they don’t have a hole in the middle. This means that they take a little longer to cook all the way through when they’re bubbling in fat. Avey keeps her oil at a lower temperature than some recipes to allow for a longer cooking time.
Many people do fine until it comes time to fill the donuts with jelly. First, there is the admonition to strain out any seeds or big pieces of fruit from the jelly. You don’t want your piping bag or squeeze bottle to get clogged and derail your progress.
Avey has come up with a smart hack. Instead of creating an opening in the side of the donut and trying to pipe the jelly or jam in, she first makes an opening at the top of the donut with a straw. Then she uses a squeeze bottle with a piping tip to pipe the jelly in from the top.
Because I want you to have a choice, here is a recipe from Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh’s book Sweet.