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Sufganiyot, Large Batch (P, TNT)
Source: "Cooking Jewish: 532 Great Recipes from the Rabinowitz Family," by Judy Bart Kancigor
Yield: About 3-1/2 dozen doughnuts

1/2 cup plus scant 1 cup warm water (105° to 110°F)
3 packages active dry yeast
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs, beaten
6 to 8 cups all-purpose flour
Canola or corn oil, for frying
Jam (any flavor)
Confectioners' sugar

Pour the 1/2 cup warm water into a very large (at least 6-quart) bowl. Add the yeast and stir to dissolve it. Then add 1 teaspoon of the sugar, stir, and set the mixture aside until bubbly, 5 to 10 minutes.

Stir the scant 1 cup warm water, salt, oil, remaining sugar, and eggs into the yeast mixture. Add 3 cups of the flour, and mix. Gradually knead in the remaining flour until the dough is spongy and elastic but still feels slightly tacky.

Remove the dough and oil the bowl (no need to wash it). Turn the dough in the bowl to coat it all over with oil, and loosely cover the bowl with plastic wrap. (Okay to refrigerate at this point.)

Preheat the oven to the lowest setting and turn it off. Let the dough rise in the turned-off oven until it nearly reaches the top of the bowl, about 2 hours.

Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface until it is 1/4" thick. Using a 3" biscuit cutter or glass, cut out rounds of dough. Place the rounds on a baking sheet and set them aside to rise, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

Heat the oil in an electric frying pan (preferred), deep-fryer, or large, heavy skillet to 365°F. (The oil should be about 1" deep.)

Dip your fingers in flour and lift up a round of dough. Move it back and forth between your two middle fingers to stretch the center of the round quite thin without tearing it. This will be the depression for the jam.

Quickly drop the rounds into the hot oil, depression side down--a few at a time, without crowding. Cover the pan and fry until the doughnuts are golden brown but not dark, about 30 seconds. Quickly turn them, cover the pan, and fry until the other side is golden brown.

Drain the doughnuts on both sides on paper towels. Repeat with the remaining rounds of dough.

Fill the depressions with jam, and dust the doughnuts with confectioners' sugar. These are best when eaten warm. They don't keep well, but no matter. You won't have any leftovers.

Poster's Notes:
I discovered by accident that refrigerating the dough for sufganiyot actually improves the texture. I was practicing my recipe for a cooking class I did this week and made the dough in the morning. Then my husband wanted to go out, so I put it in the fridge. I don't know why I didn't think of it before, because I know refrigerating the dough for bread really makes it so much better. Anyway, I didn't get to it until the next day, and the sufganiyot were incredible! I did it for my class as well. I demonstrated how to put the dough together, but brought already risen dough from the fridge and they just inhaled those puppies! Here is the recipe. I've added the tip about refrigeration.

These sufganiyot are really different--not at all doughy, more like beignets. And you don't inject the jam. You make a depression in the dough and fill them so they look so pretty, especially if you use different colors.

Posted by Judy Bart Kancigor

Nutritional Info Per Serving: N/A