Lemon Brûlée Sufganiyot

Pairing a smooth lemon cream filling with a sweet caramel brûlée glaze over the top, these will the star of your Hanukkah table. Fellow sufganiyot lovers, this will be the most incredible version you've ever tasted.

The filling can be made with either regular or Meyer lemons, and both versions are delicious. Plus, I'm giving you all the advice you need for perfectly fried sufganiyot.

Sufuganiyot are Jewish doughnuts served on Hannukah, and they are usually filled with jelly. The dough is not as sweet as an American doughnut.

Why this recipe works

The secret to an excellent doughnut is a light filling that complements the taste of the dough and helps cut through the heavy taste of the fried dough. A lemon pastry cream is a wonderful filling because it is sweet and citrusy, giving the sufganiyot a zesty bite.

Every step in this recipe is designed to guarantee a consistent outcome. Making sure your yeast is activated it is crucial, and so is frying at a stable frying temperature of 355-370F. If not, your sufganiyot will either be raw inside or extremely dense.

We use arrowroot powder (or cornstarch) in the pastry cream to help thicken it so that it stays inside the sufganiyot and doesn't pour out. Doubly make sure your pastry cream has properly thickened, otherwise, it will be a liquid mess.

Ingredients & substitutions

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Whole milk – You can also use full-fat coconut milk instead of whole milk. Don't use milk with partial fat content.

Arrowroot powder – You can swap this for cornstarch. This serves as the thickener for your pastry cream.

Yeast – This recipe uses active dry yeast that you will need to activate with a water and sugar mixture first.

Vegetable oil – For the sufganiyot, you could substitute melted margarine or vegan butter. For frying, you can substitute with canola oil.

Butter - You can use unsalted vegan butter in this recipe, but the timing of adding it is a lot trickier than using regular unsalted butter. If you add it to the pastry cream when it is too warm, it will not properly emulsify.

Lemon juice & lemon zest – I have used both Meyer lemons and regular lemons in this recipe. Meyer lemons are sweeter, so they will yield a slightly different taste.

How to Make this Recipe

Start with making the dough, which needs to rise twice. While it's rising, you can make lemon pastry cream, which needs to chill. Then, you can fry them, dip them in the caramel, and finally fill them with pastry cream.

Sufganiyot dough

First, combine the yeast, 1.5 teaspoons of sugar, and 2 tablespoons of warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer. Let it stand until the yeast foams, which should take about 5 minutes.

Note: If it doesn't foam, you'll need to start over as your yeast is not activated, and your dough won't rise.

Next, Add 2 tablespoons of sugar, 2 egg yolks, coconut milk, lemon juice and zest, salt, vanilla extract, and 1 cup of flour to the yeast mixture. Mix it all on low with the dough hook for about 2 minutes until combined.

Add the vegetable oil slowly with the mixer running. Gradually add up to 1 more cup of flour. Start with ½ a cup, as you might not need it all. If the dough is still too sticky, add a tablespoon more of flour at a time. You want the dough to be soft, smooth, and pull away from the sides of the bowl.

Then, knead the dough by hand for 3 minutes to make sure it isn't too sticky. If it is, add a little more flour until it isn't sticky anymore.

Lightly oil a medium-sized bowl. Place the dough in the oiled bowl and cover it with a kitchen towel. Leave it to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, which should take about 1-1.5 hours.

Lemon Pastry Cream

In a medium-sized heat-safe bowl, mix the sugar, arrowroot powder, and salt. Then add the egg yolks and whisk it all together until the color is a pale yellow, which takes about a minute.

Now, add in the milk and lemon zest to a small non-reactive saucepan over medium heat. Bring it just barely to a simmer before removing it from the heat.

Note: The nonreactive pan is important so that there isn't a reaction with the acidic lemon. You can use stainless steel, enameled cast-iron, and more. Do not use aluminum cookware.

Then, slowly add the milk to the bowl with the egg yolk mixture while whisking constantly.

Transfer the whole mixture back into the saucepan. Whisk constantly until it begins to thicken, ~2 minutes. Continue to whisk for another 2 minutes, until the pastry cream is gently bubbling for about a minute.

Next, turn off the heat and whisk in the butter until melted. Strain the entire mixture to remove any clumps from the arrowroot/cornstarch. Cover and refrigerate until cold, for about 2 hours.

Frying your Sufganiyot & filling them

Flour your surface to roll out the dough. Roll it out to ¾ inch thick. Cut into 8 squares or use a 2.5-3-inch cookie cutter.

Transfer the 8 pieces of dough to a parchment or silicone-lined baking sheet, cover with a kitchen towel, and let rise for 45-50 minutes, until ALMOST doubled in size. It doesn't quite double.

Meanwhile, heat 3-4 inches of vegetable oil to 365F, maintaining it between 355-375F during the whole cooking process.

If you have a thermometer to help you monitor the temperature, it helps even though it isn't necessary.

Fry each sufganiyah for 45 seconds per side. Work in small batches so the oil temperature doesn't fluctuate as quickly.

Drain the excess oil off on paper towels, wire rack, or a paper bag. There shouldn't be much or any excess oil if you are keeping it at 365F.

Before they completely cool, make a hole in the side of each doughnut with a toothpick or skewer. Let them cool a bit more before filling.

Now, take the cold pastry cream out of the refrigerator, and mix the lemon juice into the cream with a whisk.

With a piping bag, Ziploc bag, or syringe, fill the doughnuts with the lemon pastry cream. Set aside.

Brûlée Glaze

Now it's time to add the final pièce de résistance - the caramel brûlée glaze! Add the water to a saucepan or pan wide enough to be able to dip the doughnuts but no larger than 8" in diameter.

Top the water with the sugar, and heat it all over medium-low heat until the sugar starts to dissolve.

Next, turn the heat to medium-high. Do not stir to help prevent crystallization in the sugar. You can use a clean pastry brush dipped in water to help remove any crystallizations that are forming. Swirl the pan if needed.

Soon you will notice a dark caramel-brown color beginning to form. Keep your eye on the pan because it can turn quickly and you don't want it to burn. When it's dark caramel-brown, remove it from the heat. It's time to dip your sufganiyot.

Working very carefully (the caramel will burn your hand) and quickly (otherwise the caramel will harden), dip the top of each sufganiyah into the caramel. You can use tongs for added safety.

Caution: Do NOT touch the caramel with your bare hands, it will burn you. Please take extra care.

Move the sufganiyah in a circular motion while it's upside-down until the caramel begins to set so it doesn't drip on you when you flip it. It sets pretty quickly and you will notice the sugar isn't moving anymore. Set aside.

Repeat with the remaining sufganiyot. If the caramel begins to stiffen, you can return it to a low heat until it warms up, but be careful not to burn it. Ideally, you would move quickly enough not to have to reheat the caramel.

When the caramel has cooled, take that first crackly bite of your incredible Sufganiyot!

If you have added the brûlée topping, do not store in the refrigerator or it will soften. These are best eaten right away!

FAQs

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This post was originally published in December of 2017 but was republished with new photos, step by step instructions, FAQs, and tips in December of 2022.