Recipe to make your own sufganiot (jelly donuts) for Hanukkah

Sufganiyot (סופגניות) are a cherished tradition of the Hanukkah holiday. These delicious donuts are deep-fried in oil as a reminder of the Hanukkah story, when the temple menorah miraculously stayed alight for eight days with only one day’s supply of oil. So, we celebrate with lots of oily food like latkes (potato pancakes) and donuts.

Sufganiyot are traditionally made with jelly or jam in the middle but can be filled with a wide variety of stuffings and toppings such as chocolate, caramel, custard, and other exotic flavors.

Even if you don't live in Israel, you can enjoy eating sufganiyot by following this simple recipe from the Yediot Ahronot Hebrew newspaper, translated here into English.

Ingredients

350 gram self-rising flour (1.5 cups)
2 eggs
2 cups of "eshel" (which is similar to yogurt or buttermilk)
2 cups of sugar
Pinch of salt
Half a bottle of oil for frying

Instructions

Heat oil in a small, deep pot. Be careful not to overheat the oil.
In a small bowl, mix all the ingredients well, until you get a uniform mixture without lumps.
Fill a spoon with the dough and use another spoon to smooth the dough into the pot. Your sufganiyot may come out in strange shapes at first, but don't worry, the taste is the same.
Fry the dough for about three minutes in boiling oil. If you think the sufganiyot are ready, you should take out one sufganiya and make sure it is also ready on the inside and not just browned on the outside. Decorate with jam, chocolate or powdered sugar.

There are many other elaborate recipes for sufganiyot on the internet as well. No matter which recipe you try, we hope you have fun making them. Happy Hanukkah...or as we say in Israel, "Chag Hanukkah Sameach!"