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Also known as a Berliner in Germany and a ponchik in Poland, Michael used to queue up excitedly for similar ones as a child, at the bustling Bakery in the Old Kent Road.
Chanukah (Hanukkah) is a Jewish festival commemorating the recovery of Jerusalem and subsequent rededication of the Second Temple in the 2nd century BC. While this recipe first surfaced in a 1485 Nuremberg cookbook, the Jewish custom of eating fried foods on Chanukah goes back much further in commemoration of the association with the temple oil.
Ingredients:
280g strong white bread flour
160g warm milk
45g sugar
30g sunflower oil
7g instant (quick) yeast
1 egg
½ tsp salt
½ tsp vanilla extract
Strawberry jam to fill
Sugar to coat
Oil to fry
Method:
Place all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix with a spoon until a wet dough forms. Transfer to a lightly floured work surface and knead for about 5 mins until springy, (adding a little flour at a time if the dough is too sticky). You can also do this using the dough hook on an electric mixer.
Lightly oil the large bowl and place the dough back in it covering with a lightly oiled piece of cling film. Leave to prove in a warm place for appx. 1 hour or until doubled in size.
Line a baking tray with parchment paper and lightly oil. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knock out air, then roll it out to ½ an inch thickness. Using a 2½ inch round cookie cutter, cut out rounds and place them on the prepared tray. Reroll the dough and repeat. Cover with the clingfilm and leave to rise again for 30 mins.
Prepare a deep pan with a few inches of sunflower oil and using a digital probe thermometer get the oil to 160c (medium heat). In batches of 2 or 3, place the doughnuts in the oil for a couple of minutes, then turn and leave for a minute or 2. Take out doughnuts using a slotted spoon and place on a wire rack covered in kitchen paper. Repeat until all doughnuts are cooked.
Once doughnuts have cooled, fill a zip lock bag with sugar and place each doughnut in one at a time shaking it around so it is fully coated. When all are coated, use a skewer to make a hole in the side of each donut. Use a nozzle with a ¼ inch hole, place this inside a piping bag, add the jam and then squeeze jam into the opening of each doughnut until the jam starts to ooze out.
Enjoy.
Gaby Van Clarke
