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Dessert

Israeli Donuts - Chanukah

A fried dough treat made with flour, baking powder, eggs, sour cream, sugar, vanilla, and vegetable oil, dusted with powdered sugar.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 9 ingredients
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Why it works: Sugar and vanilla are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 35,032 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓

Israeli Donuts - Chanukah

Time3-5 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Combine the first 6 ingredients in a mixing bowl.

  2. In a deep skillet, heat the oil until it is hot enough to fry a 1 inch cube of dough.

Fry

  1. Carefully place the dough, a tablespoon at a time, into the oil.

  2. Fry a few donuts at a time for 3-5 minutes.

Coat and serve

  1. Remove the donuts and place them in a bag with powdered sugar to coat.

  2. Serve warm.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

813Calories
36 gProtein
21 gFat
115 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 6 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Yogurt170g plain Greek100
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Vanilla1 tsp extract (4ml)12

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together35,032 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

  2. Cream + sugartop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together43,450 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).

  3. Flour + vanillatop 12% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together19,241 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

  4. Flour + sugartop 15% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together92,116 recipes

    Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).

  5. Cream + vanillatop 15% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together12,301 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-nonanone (fruity, floral).

Sugar and vanilla barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 35,032 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Flour
Forms the main structure that holds the dough together while it fries.
Baking powder
Releases gas as it heats, helping the donuts puff and lighten.
Eggs
Add structure and richness, helping bind the dough.
Sour cream
Adds moisture and tenderness, along with a mild tang.
Vegetable oil
Transfers heat quickly to cook the dough and brown the outside.
Powdered sugar
Forms a sweet coating that clings to the warm donuts.

The step that matters

Heating the oil to the right temperature. If the oil is too cool, the dough absorbs it and the donuts turn greasy and heavy. If it is too hot, the outside browns before the inside cooks. Testing with a 1 inch cube of dough shows whether the temperature is right.

Swap the vanilla

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (flour, egg, cream, sugar):

  1. Raisinfits about as well
  2. Vanillathe original
  3. Figfits less well
  4. Strawberryfits less well

Fit is the average pairing score against flour, egg, cream, sugar. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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