Sufganiyot with Honey Raspberry Filling

These traditional Jewish doughnuts are a cross between a beignet and a yeast doughnut and are served during Hanukkah. You’ll find delicate acacia honey in both the dough and the homemade raspberry filling. While they are considered a Hanukkah doughnut, we love these any time of year.

Sufganiyot with Honey Raspberry Filling
(doughnuts + fresh raspberries and honey filling)
Makes about 2 dozen
    
What you need:
For the Sufganiyot:
1 cup warm water (heated to about 110°F)
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
¼ cup Savannah Bee Company Honey (we used Acacia Honey)
3 cups all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons canola oil, plus more for frying
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Powdered sugar for dusting

For the Honey Raspberry Filling:
2 cups fresh raspberries
¼ cup Savannah Bee Company Honey (we used Acacia Honey)
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

What to do:

1. Wash Up!

2. Make the dough: Combine the warm water, yeast, and honey in a small bowl. Let stand for 5 minutes or until foamy. Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, salt, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Add the egg yolks, 2 tablespoons of oil, and vanilla to the yeast mixture and whisk to combine. Add the yeast mixture to the flour mixture, stirring with a rubber spatula until it comes together. (The dough will be slightly sticky.) Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place free from drafts, until doubled in size, about 1 to 2 hours.

3. Make the filling: Combine the raspberries, honey, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat and let cool completely.

4. Make the sufganiyot: Line a baking sheet with several layers of paper towels. Line a separate baking sheet with parchment paper and dust with flour. Generously dust a clean work surface or large cutting board with flour. Scrape the dough from the bowl onto the counter and dust the top of the dough with flour. Using floured hands, pat the dough into a 12- x 10-inch rectangle about ¼-inch-thick. (Make sure the bottom of the dough is not stuck to the counter.) Add more flour to the counter as needed. Use a pizza cutter or a sharp knife to cut the dough into 24 (2-inch) squares. Transfer to the parchment paper-lined baking sheet and place without allowing the squares to touch each other. Sprinkle lightly with flour, and cover loosely with plastic wrap.

5. Fry the sufganiyot: Pour oil to a depth of 2 inches in a large Dutch oven. Place over medium heat and heat to 350°F. Working with 4 to 6 pieces of dough at a time, fry for about 3 minutes, or until golden brown, flipping halfway through. Remove each doughnut to the paper towel lined-baking sheet with a slotted spoon or spider. Allow the oil temperature to return to 350°F between each batch, and repeat with the remaining dough.

6. Finish the sufganiyot: Fill a piping bag with about 1 cup of the jam. When the doughnuts are cool enough to handle, use a chopstick or skewer to poke a hole into the side of the doughnut about 2/3 of the way through the center. Wiggle the chopstick side to side to create a larger pocket for jam without poking through the other side of the doughnut. Pipe each doughnut with 1 to 2 teaspoons of jam.

To Serve: Place the doughnuts on a plate. Dust with powdered sugar using a small sifter.

Pro Tip: You’ll know you’ve done a great job if there's little white line that surrounds the doughnuts. A “float ring” is the mark of a great doughnut! Be patient and let the oil reach the right temperature!

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