Holiday recipes for Hannukah

Recipes to shake up the usual sufganiya we're all familiar with

FEBRUARY 25, 2020 11:55

BAKED SQUARE SUFGANIYOT (photo credit: PASCALE PEREZ-RUBIN) — BAKED SQUARE SUFGANIYOT

(photo credit: PASCALE PEREZ-RUBIN)

Hanukkah is just around the corner, and you’ve probably noticed that every bakery and café is already serving an assortment of colorful and aromatic sufganiyot, donuts. One of the main focuses of Hanukkah is how the little bit of oil that was found in the destroyed Temple managed to last for eight days. To celebrate the Jewish people’s victory, on the holiday we eat foods fried in oil. In other words, Hanukkah is not about diets or healthy eating.

In case you don’t already have a favorite sufganiya recipe, or you’re looking to try something new, I’ve brought to you here three simple recipes from pastry chef Gal Buchnik that will make your Hanukkah celebrations tasty and festive. Buchnik has spent years adjusting his recipes and he offers workshops in his school in Haifa, during which he shares tips and suggestions.

Enjoy your fried treats this Festival of Lights.

BAKED SQUARE SUFGANIYOT

Makes 22 sufganiyot.

Use a 4 cm. x4 cm. square silicone tray to make square sufganiyot.

1¼ cups (minus 1 tsp. or 165 g.) bread flour, sifted

1 level tsp. (5 g.) yeast

¼ cup (50 g.) sugar

¹⁄3 egg (20 g.)

35 g. butter

¼ cup (60 g.) milk

Chocolate nuts coating:

200 g. milk chocolate

¼ cup (50 g.) oil

¼ cup (70 g.) candied nuts

Ganache:

100 g. milk chocolate

75 g. bittersweet chocolate

2 Tbsp. (25 g.) nougat

250 ml. sweet cream

125 ml. sweet cream

Topping:

Roasted and peeled hazelnut halves

Add the flour, yeast and sugar to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. While mixing, add the egg, butter and milk. Mix for eight minutes on medium speed until well mixed. Transfer to a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside for 50 minutes.

Separate the dough into 25 balls and place one in each space in the silicone tray. Cover and let rise another 20 minutes. Bake in an oven that has been preheated to 170° for 20 minutes.

To prepare the topping, add the chocolate to a bowl and melt in the microwave a few seconds at a time. Add the oil and nuts and mix. Place the sufganiyot on a metal rack and then cover them with the chocolate topping. Let cool.

To prepare the ganache, place 250 ml. of sweet cream in a pot and bring to a boil. Add the milk and bittersweet chocolates and nougat to a bowl with tall sides. Pour the hot cream on top and mix. Blend with an immersion blender. Let cool in the fridge for 15 minutes.

Pour the ganache into the bowl of a mixer and add the 125 ml. of cream. Whip until fluffy and smooth. Transfer to an icing bag with a 1-cm. serrated tip and add a little ganache to each sufganiya. Add hazelnuts on top of cream.

Level of difficulty: Medium.

Time: 2.5 hours.

Status: Dairy.

DOUGHNUTS

Makes 25 doughnuts.

Use cookie cutters with a 3.5-cm. diameter.

1¼ cups (170 g.) flour, sifted

1 level tsp. (5 g.) dry yeast

2.5 Tbsp. (25 g.) sugar

½ large egg (30 g.)

20 g. butter, at room temperature

¼ cup (70 g.) milk

2 Tbsp. (15 g.) Rivyon buttermilk

For frying:

Oil for deep frying

Ganache:

100 ml. sweet cream

100 g. bittersweet chocolate

Icing:

Royal icing powder (can be bought in specialty stores. Can add natural food coloring: pink, green, orange or white)

Toppings:

Sprinkles (optional)

Add the flour, yeast and sugar to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook and mix. Continue to mix while adding egg, butter, milk and rivyon. Mix for eight minutes on medium speed until well mixed.

Transfer to a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside for 50 minutes.

Roll out dough until it’s 1-cm. thick. Place on a tray and put in the freezer for 10 minutes. Cut out circles with a 3.5-cm diameter with a cookie cutter. Cut out another circle with a diameter of 1cm from the middle of the large circle.

Heat oil for deep frying. Add the dough pieces and fry for three minutes on each side. Remove and set on paper towels.

To prepare the ganache, add the cream and chocolate to a microwaveable bowl and heat a few seconds at a time. Mix until smooth.

To prepare the icing, add the icing powder to a bowl and prepare according to directions on packaging. Separate into a number of bowls and then add food coloring to each one.

Dip the doughnuts into the icing and then set on a rack to dry. Top with sprinkles if desired.

Level of difficulty: Medium.

Time: 2 hours.

Status: Dairy.

FRUIT IN TEMPURA AND CHOCOLATE FONDUE

Use any fruit you choose: mango, banana, apple, pear, etc.

Cut fruit into 1 cm chunks and spear them with small wooden skewers.

Tempura:

5 egg whites (200 g.)

½ cup (70 g.) cornflour

200 ml. soda water

3 Tbsp. (40 g.) rum/brandy

For frying:

Oil for deep frying

Chocolate fondue:

150 ml. sweet cream

150 ml. bittersweet chocolate

¼ cup brandy, run or any other alcohol

Sugar-cinnamon mixture:

½ cup sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

Add all the ingredients to a bowl and mix.

Heat oil for deep frying. Dip each piece of fruit into tempura so that it’s covered evenly all over. Then dip fruit skewer into oil. After a minute turn over to fry other side.

To prepare the chocolate fondue, melt the chocolate and cream in the microwave a few seconds at a time. Mix in brandy or rum. Transfer to a serving dish. In a separate bowl, mix sugar and cinnamon together. Serve fruit skewers and let guests dip in chocolate and/or cinnamon.

Level of difficulty: Easy.

Time: 30 minutes.

Status: Dairy.

Translated by Hannah Hochner.

Learn more about Pascale's Kitchen here.