Sfenj are the type of doughnuts Moroccans eat on Hanukkah, truthfully, they are a Moroccan doughnut you can eat any time of year. They are not filled like traditional sufganiyot, instead, they are made more rustic by taking a ball of dough, putting a hole in the middle and frying directly. Use our hack to make the shaping and frying easier, watch the video below.
These doughnuts are not as sweet as most, so they are usually coated in sugar before serving. Feel free to mix in cinnamon or Hawaij for Coffee in with the sugar for a unique twist.
The dough is quick and easy to make, but it does require 4 hours to rise. The good news is that you can prepare it the night before, and after it has risen you can keep it in fridge until frying time. Remove for 30 minutes before frying, shape and drop into oil and serve hot and fresh.
We used Bob’s Red Mill All-Purpose Flour to make our Sfenj and we couldn’t be happier.
Sfenj Moroccan Doughnuts
Servings
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 ½ cups lukewarm water divided
- 4 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Extra virgin olive oil for frying
- 1 cup sugar for garnish
Instructions
- Mix yeast, sugar and ¾ cup water in a small bowl. Allow yeast to activate by setting aside in a warm spot for fifteen minutes. Yeast is activated when small bubbles appear on the surface of the water-yeast mixture.
- In a large mixing bowl or standing mixer, stir together flour, salt, yeast mixture and remaining ¾ cup water. Knead for ten minutes using the dough hook attachment or by hand on a floured work surface.
- The mixture will be sticky. The more you knead the smoother the mixture will become. Do not add more flour to the mixture.
- Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 3 to 4 hours, until mixture triples in size.
- In a heavy bottom, deep pot or pan heat 2-inches evoo over medium-high heat to 350°F.
- Dip your hand in water and pull pieces of dough roughly the size of a small peach. (Sfenj is not meant to be perfect.) Poke a hole in the center of the ball of dough and roll a bit to resemble a rustic bagel.
- Fry for 3 minutes, flip and fry for 2 minutes more, until golden brown and puffed. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
- Dip warm sfenj into sugar and serve with coffee or Moroccan mint tea.
No offence but Moroccans aren’t known for celebrating Hanukkah. To take a very famous and staple food and make it about Jewish culture is a bit strange. Im happy you enjoy our food, but I think you should respect Moroccan culture more.
My uncle’s entire family is Moroccan Jewish. My aunt makes these every year for Hanukkah.
I completely agree, Morocco’s incredibly rich culture and history deserves great respect.
This is why you really should try to educate yourself on it, at least a little
You might want to start with this article: https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20221215-isfeng-a-crispy-doughnut-from-al-andalus-for-hanukkah
Lol. Jews were in Morocco before Mohammed took his first breath and they were probably making sfenj then too
I am Jewish. I was born in Morocco. My family lived in Fes for over 500 years. We left Morocco in 1967, just after the six day war, when it was becoming increasingly dangerous for Jews to live there.
As a child, I grew up eating Sfenj, as did hundreds of thousands of Moroccan Jews in Israel.
This Chanukah, I am making Sfenj so my children can enjoy them. And so my children can connect with their heritage.
Sure that is fine
Can I use canola oil?
We have many baked doughnut recipes on the site, but this recipe will not work well baked, sadly. They are really light and airy and they have to be shaped and dropped directly in the oil, it just won’t work to bake them.
I know the whole idea is to fry everything in oil for Chanukah – but can these be baked in a doughnut pan? In an effort to be a little healthier, I bake my doughnuts (and other foods) during the year. I do fry my latkes, but that’s about it!