Sufganiot - Hanukkah Doughnuts

Happy Hanukkah! Thanks sis for the great email about Hanukkah, it reminded me of this great recipe I had for a traditional Hanukkah food item!
Sufganiot are deep-fried jelly doughnuts that are traditionally eaten during the Jewish festival of Hanukkah. Sufganiot are especially popular in Israel. The oil used to fry the doughnuts are reminiscent of the oil that miraculously burned, according to the Hanukkah story, in the ancient Temple in Jerusalem.

Ingredients:

• 1 ounce yeast
• 1 TBSP sugar
• 1 TBSP water
• 1 TBSP flour
• 3 cups flour
• 1/4 cup margarine, melted
• dash of salt
• 3 TBSP sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 1/4 cups water at room temperature
• jelly
  
• oil for frying
  
• powdered sugar

To make the dough: Combine the first four ingredients in a bowl. Mix well, cover, and wait until it rises. In another bowl, mix 3 cups of flour with the melted margarine, salt, sugar and egg yolks. Combine the yeast mixture with the flour mixture. Slowly add water while stirring. When batter is smooth, cover the bowl with a towel and let it sit and rise.
To make the doughnuts: After the batter has risen, pour it onto a floured surface and roll it out. Use a glass with a small opening to cut out circles of the dough. Place a drop of jelly in the middle of each circle, and then cover with another circle of dough. Make sure that 2 circles attach well to form a closed ball with jelly in the middle. Cover the doughnuts with a towel and let rise.
To fry the doughnuts: Heat oil in a deep pot until very hot. Drop the doughnuts into the oil and fry on both sides until brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
These sufganiot are only good fresh. After you make the dough, only fry a few at a time. Store the rest of the dough in the refrigerator.