A recipe for jelly doughnuts, the ultimate Hanukkah pastry

Jelly doughnuts, also known as sufganiyot, have become a classic Hanukkah treat, one of a number of foods fried in oil that are popular on the holiday. Inexplicably, the oil burned for eight days and eight nights, a feat now celebrated as Hanukkah, the eight-day “festival of lights.” There are two ways to fill jelly doughnuts. JELLY DOUGHNUTS Serves 16 1 package active dry yeast or 1 tablespoon dry yeast Three-fourth cup warm milk One-fourth cup melted butter One-fourth teaspoon kosher salt Half cup sugar 1 large egg and 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten 2.5 to 3 cups all-purpose flour, divided One-fourth teaspoon ground nutmeg, mace or cinnamon Vegetable oil for frying Three-fourth cup jam or jelly, any flavor For the coating: 1 cup sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon Generously flour a clean work surface and lightly oil a medium-size bowl. Place the circles on a very lightly floured baking sheet with a couple of inches between each doughnut, cover with a clean dishtowel or loose plastic wrap, and let sit for about 1 hour, until they are quite puffy, about 1 inch thick.