vegan strawberry-filled Hanukkah doughnuts (sufganiyot)

This is the first year I have made these “sufganiyot”. They were a requested dessert after the candles were lit. Hanukkah is my favorite celebration, with the evening ritual of light, candles, and all that wonderful fried food, which I tend to avoid.

I enjoy living consciously by eating and preparing healthy, clean food, but I still indulge in less healthy options from time to time. I value food and have gained a deeper understanding of how it affects my physical, mental, and emotional health and meditation practice. I’ve come to realize that anything made with heartfelt gratitude and pure intention and shared with like-minded loved ones nourishes the mind, body, and soul and elevates our consciousness, even if it involves deep-frying and powdered sugar!

Magic happens when the dough is submerged in the hot oil. It’s a miraculous spectacle that you’ll understand once you make these!

tips

• When deep-frying the doughnuts, I find it best to use a cast-iron pot, as it keeps the oil at an even, consistent temperature.
• This is a good place to judge how hot the oil should be without using a temperature thermometer.
• Aim for smaller doughnuts; they are easier to manage, but you can make them as small or as large as you wish.
• If you want to make the doughnuts in stages or only a few, prepare the dough, divide it, and refrigerate half of it overnight. Bring the dough to room temperature the next day, which will take about 30 minutes, and proceed with the instructions below.

strawberry jam-filled doughnuts

makes approximately 20 doughnuts 

wet ingredients

1 Tbsp chia seeds

3 Tbsp water

¾ cup nut milk (room temperature)

3 Tbsp oil coconut/olive oil

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

dry ingredients

250g white spelt flour

100g whole-spelt flour

50g/¼ cup light brown sugar

1 Tbsp dried yeast

½ tsp fine Himalayan salt

1 bottle canola, sunflower or peanut oil for frying

strawberry jam filling

½ cup strawberry jam

powdered sugar for sprinkling

preparation

1. In a medium bowl, combine the chia seeds, water, and nut milk. Stir to combine and set aside for 20 minutes. Once the chia seeds have gelled, add the oil and vanilla extract, then whisk to combine.
2. Meanwhile, mix together the salt, flour, and sugar in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, and sprinkle over the dried yeast.
3. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and stir to combine.  Knead, either by hand, on a floured surface or with a dough hook, for 7 – 10 minutes until you have a smooth and slightly sticky dough.
4. Transfer the dough to a well-oiled bowl, turning several times to coat entirely with oil.  Cover it with plastic wrap and let it sit in a nice warm area in your kitchen until it has doubled in size, about 2 hours.
5. Once the dough has risen, give it a quick knead. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to 1 cm thickness. Then, using a 2-inch cookie cutter (or a glass), cut out about 20 (2-inch) circles, dipping the cutter in flour as needed to prevent sticking. Re-roll scraps until the dough is used up.
6. Line a baking tray with a clean kitchen towel and place the circles on the towel.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap and rise until puffy, 20 – 30 minutes.

7. When ready to fry, heat a few inches of oil in a large cast-iron pan until it reaches 340F/170C or a scrape of dough sizzles upon contact.  You don’t want it too hot as you want to allow time for the doughnuts to cook through.
8. Fry in batches of 4 or 5 (depending on the size of your pot), turning once, until golden, for approximately 30 seconds on each side (the doughnuts will float and fry quickly and puff up).  The doughnuts may flip over by themselves, but some may need help.  Use a slotted spoon to transfer them to paper towels to drain.
9. To fill them—When the doughnuts are cool enough to handle, use a chopstick to poke a hole in the side and rotate it to create a space for the filling. With a piping bag or small zip-lock bag with the corner cut, squeeze a good helping of strawberry jam into the doughnuts and sprinkle generously with powdered sugar. The doughnuts are best served immediately.

Happy Hanukka!

Goodness shared from Stacey