Jam-Filled Doughnuts

Maybe you need more excitement in your Saturday morning. Maybe you need a vat of hot oil and the worry that the jelly in the doughnuts is going to ooze out into the oil. Maybe you need your house to smell like Krispy Kreme. Or maybe you like really, really good doughnuts and don't mind a bit of a challenge. I thought these were totally worth it--but I won't be making doughnuts again for a while.

This recipe is adapted from a Kosher Hanukkah doughnut recipe from the December 2002 Bon Appétit. I only made half this recipe, and it was plenty for the four of us.

Jam-Filled Doughnuts

2-1/2 c. (7.5 oz.) flour (part whole-wheat is OK if you want to delude yourself)

5 T. (2.2 oz.) sugar

2 envelopes rapid-rise yeast

Grated zest of one lemon

1 t. salt

1/4 t. ginger

3/4 c. (6 oz.) milk

4 T. (2 oz.) butter, melted and cooled

2 eggs

1-1/2 t. vanilla

Jam of your choice (I used raspberry)

6-8 cups of frying oil (I used peanut)

Powdered sugar

I highly recommend making the doughnuts the night before.

In a large bowl (you can use a mixer with a dough hook or do this by hand), whisk together the flour, sugar, yeast, lemon rind, salt, and ginger. Beat in the milk, butter, eggs, and vanilla until a soft dough forms; knead on a floured board until smooth and elastic. Return to the bowl, cover with a towel, put in a warm place, and let rise about 1-1/2 to 2 hours.

Roll out on a floured board to about 1/4 inch thick. Cut out 2-inch circles with a cookie/biscuit cutter. Go for an even number of circles. Put a scant half teaspoon of jam on half of the circles and cover them with the remaining circles. Press on the edges to seal and recut with the cookie cutter to seal the edges a bit more. Arrange the doughnuts on a cookie sheet, cover with plastic, and refrigerate until you're ready to fry.

When you're ready to fry, remove the doughnuts from the fridge and heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat to 325. It will take at least 10 minutes for your oil to heat up to that temperature. In the meantime, line a baking sheet with a brown paper bag and put a rack over that. Also, check the doughnuts to make sure they're sealed; crimp the edges of any that have become unsealed. Once the oil is finally heated, cook the doughnuts about 2 minutes per side; fish out with a slotted spoon and put on the prepared rack. Sprinkle both sides with powdered sugar and call the troops to eat them while they're hot!