Jam-Filled Challah Doughnuts

Fluffy, homemade challah doughnuts filled with sweet seedless jam and coated in sugar. These yeasted doughnuts are made with a rich, buttery dough and fried until golden brown before being injected with your favorite jam filling.

12 servings
2 hr 29 min

Ingredients

  • teaspoons active dry yeast
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 5 large egg yolks
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2⅓ cups all-purpose flour
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 8 cups vegetable oil
  • 1 cup sugar
  • cups seedless jam
  • 1 piece biscuit cutter
  • 1 piece deep-fry thermometer
  • 1 piece pastry bag
  • 1 piece pastry tip

Cooking Instructions

  1. 1.

    Mix yeast, 1 Tbsp. sugar, and 1/2 cup warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment to combine; let sit until mixture is foamy, 8-10 minutes.

    10 min

  2. 2.

    Add egg yolks, salt, and remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat on medium-low speed to combine, about 1 minute. Increase speed to medium and gradually add 2 1/3 cups flour; mix until combined and thick, about 3 minutes. Remove paddle, scrape down mixture back into bottom of bowl, and swap in dough hook.

    4 min

  3. 3.

    With mixer on low speed, add butter a piece at a time, mixing until incorporated after each addition. Once all the butter has been added, mix until dough is smooth, shiny, and elastic, about 5 minutes.

    5 min

  4. 4.

    Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead, adding more flour by the tablespoonful, until no longer sticky, about 3 minutes. Place dough in a lightly oiled large bowl and turn to coat. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

    60 min

  5. 5.

    Punch down dough and roll or pat out on a lightly floured surface to 1/2" thick. Punch out rounds of dough with cutter and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing 1" apart. Reroll scraps once and cut out more rounds. Cover doughnuts loosely with plastic wrap and let rise until not quite doubled in size, 30-40 minutes.

    40 min

  6. 6.

    Fit a large heavy saucepan with thermometer; pour in oil to come 3" up sides and heat over medium-high until thermometer registers 350°F. Working in batches and adjusting heat to maintain oil temperature, fry doughnuts, turning once, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet; let cool slightly.

    15 min

  7. 7.

    Place sugar in a medium bowl, and working in batches, toss doughnuts to coat. Transfer back to baking sheet.

    5 min

  8. 8.

    Stir jam to loosen and spoon into pastry bag fitted with tip (or use a squeeze bottle). Working one at a time, poke a small hole into side of doughnuts (a chopstick works great) and gently pipe in a generous amount of jam.

    10 min