Buñuelos Hanukkah Donut Holes are fried in oil as are more Hanukkah recipes. The history of why can be found below.
The eight-day Jewish celebration known as Hanukkah commemorates the re-dedication during the second century B.C. of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, where Jews had risen up against their Greek-Syrian oppressors in the Maccabean Revolt.
An even greater miracle than defeating the Greek armies was the miracle of the oil. The Greeks had made all the oil in the Temple impure. Miraculously, the Maccabees found one jar that had been overlooked, but it only had enough oil for one day. The miracle was that the oil burned for eight days!
More history can be found here.
The holiday commemorates these miracles. It is celebrated for eight days and Jews have the tradition of eating foods fried in oil.
Traditional Jewish Ashkenazi foods include potato pancakes, known as latkes and Israeli families eat jam-filled doughnuts called Sufganiyot.
However, traditional Jewish Sephardi foods tend to be more closely related to the original Biblical foods. For instance, Moroccans eat fried donuts (sfenj); Spaniards fry fritters called binuelos; and Italians and Spaniards make cheese pancakes (cassolas) and leek or spinach patties (keftes).
I’ve included some of these recipes below and hope you will enjoy some ancient traditions that have been handed down for nearly 2000 years.
How to Make Buñuelos Hanukkah Donut Holes
Hanukkah Donut Holes – Buñuelos (or Bimuelos) with Honey – Sephardic Hanukkah Donuts
DESCRIPTION
INGREDIENTS
Ingredients
- 1 package dry yeast (2 ¼ teaspoons)
- 2 cups warm water (divided)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 3 ¼ cups flour (14.6 ounces all-purpose)
- oil ( for deep frying)
- honey (or powdered sugar)
INSTRUCTIONS
Instructions
- Stir the yeast into 1 cup of the warm water and allow to proof. (If you don’t see bubbles after a few minutes, buy new yeast.)
- Mix in the remaining cup of water along with the salt, sugar and tablespoon of oil. Slowly stir in the flour, and keep stirring until you have a smooth, wet dough.
- Cover and allow to rise in a warm spot for at least 1 hour. (I’ve allowed it to go four hours, stirring down occasionally, and it only gets more delicious).
- Put 3 inches of oil in a pot suitable for deep frying and bring to 370 degrees F. Line a tray with paper towels. Get a bowl of water ready.
- Moisten your hands in the bowl of water and grab about 3 tablespoons of the dough.
- Quickly form it into a rough ball and poke a hole through the center (for donut style or in a ball for fritter style). These are supposed to be rustic, don’t spend any time trying to make them perfect.
- Drop carefully into the oil. Repeat for as many as will fit comfortably in your pot without crowding. Fry until golden brown on one side, then flip and brown the other side. Use a slotted spoon to remove to paper towels.
- Drizzle with honey (or offer honey for dipping, or dust with powdered sugar) and serve immediately.
Notes
Other Hanukkah Recipes
See more Kosher Cowboy Hanukkah recipes here.
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