Gluten-Free Sufganiyot (Jelly Donuts) for Chanukah

Latkes may be the most popular Chanukah food, but they're definitely not the only traditional deep-fried holiday dish. What I've missed the most are sufganiyot, or jelly donuts. Most Chanukah foods are fried, in honor of the Chanukah miracle of one day's worth of oil lasting eight days. And what better deep-fried dessert than a donut filled with jelly? This recipe is based on a Old Fashioned Doughnuts recipe I found on another site. The recipe includes sugar, but I made these successfully today without any sugar, so that my friends who are sugar-free or don't eat cane sugar could eat them. If you make them without sugar, add an additional 1/4 cup of flour mix. Folks who avoid sugar can fill them with no-sugar-added raspberry or strawberry preserves, or with applesauce. This is a surprisingly easy recipe. Chag sameach!

GLUTEN-FREE SUFGANIYOT (JELLY DONUTS)

2 eggs, beaten
2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup butter, melted
5 cups Rice Flour Mix
1 cup sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp salt
2 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 beaten egg, set aside
1/2 cup sugar, set aside in a bowl
Raspberry or strawberry jelly (seedless)

Beat 2 eggs, buttermilk, and melted butter in a large bowl with a whisk.

Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Fold slowly into the wet ingredients, mixing by hand with a wooden spoon. When the ingredients are mostly combined, use your hands to knead a few times to make sure the ingredients are fully incorporated.

Let the dough rest for 15 minutes. Sprinkle extra rice flour mix on your countertop or a large cutting board. Roll out dough to 1/4 inch thick. If dough is sticky, work in more rice flour blend.

Heat 2 inches of canola oil until very hot (375 degrees F).

Use a glass, biscuit cutter or jar with approximately 3-inch diameter to cut disks out of the dough. Place 1/2 teaspoon of jelly in the center of one disk. Brush the beaten egg you've set aside around the outer edge of the dough. Place a second disk of dough on top, and use your fingers to crimp the edges until they are sealed. Repeat until you've used up all the dough. Remaining dough scraps can be rolled into balls ("donut holes") and fried.

Carefully place sufganiyot in hot oil with a slotted spatula. Cook until very brown on one side. If necessary, turn the donut over and brown on the second side. Remove from oil and place on a plate lined with two layers of paper towel or brown paper. While warm, roll sufganiyot in the bowl of sugar to coat.

Serve while warm.