Israeli

Guy Hanuka

NAVAD Bakers

In Jewish culture, Hanukkah is observed for eight nights by Jews in both Israel and around the world, typically in late November or December depending on the calendar (Jewish holidays follow the Hebrew calendar, which is a lunisolar calendar). While lighting the menorah and spinning the dreidel are well known traditions associated with “the Festival of Lights,” the desserts enjoyed throughout the holiday are equally meaningful.

“Sufganiyot is a staple for Hanukkah,” explains Guy Hanuka, founder of NAVAD Bakers (formerly Buns Bakery). “In Israel, all over November and December, the country is full of sufganiyot. It’s almost like a doughnut, but without a hole in the center.”

Hanuka, who was born and raised in Israel, says his mother and other family members would make sufganiyot from scratch, but the golden, pillowy treat is also readily available at bakeries and stores. Typically, sufganiyot is deep-fried in oil, which is symbolic of the miracle of the oil that burned miraculously for eight days in the second-century BCE Temple in Jerusalem.

Standard sufganiyot is filled with jelly, but Hanuka has gotten creative with his, making some in the past filled with lemon cream and topped with Italian meringue — or with chocolate filling.

“The idea is really to be creative [with] it,” he says, explaining sufganiyot are, in some ways, a hybrid of the patisserie and donut worlds.

Like everything he bakes, Hanuka says sufganiyot reminds him of home. He also loves the opportunity to share with people, through his baked goods, things they’ve never experienced before, or that they’ll find out of the ordinary.

“We like to bring the tradition here, because I feel like people who eat our pastries, it kind of takes them to somewhere else.”

SUFGANIYOT

INGREDIENTS:
420g (3 Cups) All purpose flour
8g (½ T) Dry Yeast
36g (3 T) Granulated Sugar
80g (1.5) Eggs
5g (1 tsp) Salt
50 (⅓ Cup) Corn Oil
7g (1 tsp) Brandy
5g (1 tsp) Vanilla Extract
120g (½ Cup) Water

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In a bowl of a mixer with the mixing hook, put the water and the rest of the ingredients on top. Mix for about 7 minutes until you get a soft dough. Cover the bowl and proof until dough doubles in volume.
2. Divide the dough into 50g pieces and round it into balls. Place the dough balls on an
   oiled tray. Proof until doubled in size.
3. While you wait for the sufganiyot to proof, pre-heat frying oil to 300 degrees.
4. Fry the sufganiyot for about 3 minutes on each side until golden in color.
5. Fill with your favorite jam or spread.

Enjoy!