Easy recipe for doughnuts this Hanukkah

Many people are familiar with latkes, a potato pancake-like food eaten during Hanukkah.

But that's not the only Hanukkah food. Cookbook author Jamie Geller told Fox News Digital that another feast eaten during Hanukkah is becoming increasingly popular and elaborate.

“The bottom line is that Hanukkah celebrates the miracle of oil. There was enough oil for one day, but it lasted eight days,” said Geller, who lives in Jerusalem.

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As a result, much of the food eaten during Hanukkah is fried and is “sweet and savory,” she said.

Sufganiyot, which is “essentially a donut,” became “very popular in Israel” during Hanukkah and is growing in popularity around the world, she said.

“It's the classic stuffed with jelly and dusted with powdered sugar,” she said, noting that “it's available everywhere during Hanukkah.”

In recent years, sufganiyot's popularity has “exploded” not only in Israel but around the world, she said.

Now, people can find “every version of donut, every type of filling, every type of topping, every unique combination you can imagine,” Geller said.

She continued, “Every year we try to outdo ourselves by doing crazier things, more gourmet things.”

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However, sufganiyot doesn't have to be complicated or elaborate to be delicious. Geller shared an easy-to-assemble “sufganiyot in a bag” recipe with Fox News Digital. She says this recipe is “a surefire way to go.”

“Everything, the whole fabric, is actually made inside the bag,” she said. “Cooking with kids can be very tedious and exhausting, so this is a fun thing to do with them.”

The entire recipe takes about an hour, including time to rise the dough, she said.

“Every year we try to outdo ourselves by doing crazier things and more gourmet things,” Geller told FOX News Digital, but classic flavor profiles stand the test of time. Endure. (John McDougall/AFP via Getty Images)

And for those who are afraid of deep-frying, Geller has tips for not only this recipe, but any recipe that cooks with oil.

“I actually recommend peeling and cutting carrots into 3- or 4-inch pieces and adding them to the pot,” she says. “This helps regulate the temperature of the oil and also helps attract all the small particles that come out of the food when frying in batches.”

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Sufganiyot in the bag

Geller told Fox News Digital that the recipe for sufganiyot in the bag is “sure thing.” (Jamie Geller)

material:

1 pack of active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 egg

3 tablespoons sugar

1 cup lukewarm water

1 1/2 tablespoons oil (more for frying)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon brandy or cognac

1 lemon peel

2 cups strawberry jelly

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Instructions:

1. Add yeast, warm water, sugar, brandy, lemon zest, oil, eggs, and flour to a gallon-sized plastic bag.

2. Mix the ingredients thoroughly in a ziplock bag.

Geller said this recipe is perfect for kids because the dough is packaged in bags. (Jamie Geller)

3. Place the bag in a bowl of very warm water for an hour.

4. Remove the dough from the bag and place it on a floured surface. The dough will be sticky and will make a wonderful sufganiyot. Roll out the dough to 1cm (1cm) thick. Dust both sides of the dough with flour to prevent it from sticking to the surface. Using a cookie cutter or glass, cut 2-inch circles into the dough. If you have any scraps of dough left, roll it out again and cut more circles.

5. Cover with a towel and let stand for 30 minutes.

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6. Add 2 inches of oil to the pot. Heat oil to 350°F. If you don't have a thermometer, the correct stovetop temperature is medium. Add sufganiyot and you'll know if it's correct or not. The oil should bubble around the sufganiyot, but not a lot. Fry the donuts for about 1 minute on each side. You can always test it to see if it's good.

Fry the sufganiyot for 1 minute on each side until done. (Jamie Geller)

7. Remove and place on a cooling rack or plate lined with paper towels.

8. Add your favorite jelly or jam to the donuts using a piping tube or piping bag. Make sure the jelly or jam is so thick that you can't squeeze it in with whatever you're using.

This recipe belongs to Jamie Geller and was shared with Fox News Digital.