Encouraging Speech & Creating Yum! Easy Sufganiyot (Jelly Doughnuts)
Traditionally, during Hanukkah, families eat Sufganiyot (jelly donuts), or other foods, which are fried in oil to celebrate and commemorate the miracle of the festival of lights. With the holiday season quickly approaching, it’s time to break out the cookie sheets, muffin tins and Sufganiyot! Sufganiyot is like a jelly-filled donut that you and your family are sure to enjoy this holiday. Traditionally, these are fried, but, we are going to make these a “little-bit” easier and healthy for the parents.
Ingredients
Immaculate Crescent rolls (or any store brand ready-to-bake dinner rolls, but, NOT biscuits)
- 1/8 cup of coconut oil
- A cup of your favorite 100% fruit jam (or favorite pie filling)
- About a cup of powdered sugar
Cooking Time: 12-14 minutes
Instructions
Parent: Preheat oven for 350 degrees.
Kiddo: “Pop” open the tube of dough. For large donuts, simply place the rolls two inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet. For small donuts (like donut hole-size), cut each roll in half and re-form it into a ball by rolling it between your hands; place them at least one inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet.
Kiddo: brush dough with coconut oil.
Parent: Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown at the edges.
Parent&Kiddo: While the rolls are baking, fill a sandwich-sized zip lock baggie with the jam or pie filling of your choice and cut off a small tip of the corner.
Kiddo: Put the powdered sugar in a medium bowl.
Parent: As soon as the rolls are cool enough to handle, use a paring knife to make a slit in the side of the roll, then gently (so as not to poke a hole out the other side) cut in both directions to create a pocket inside (the opening should stay the same size, but the pocket inside should be bigger).
Kiddo: Insert the tip of the jam baggie into the donut, and squeeze the jam inside until just full. Do not over fill.
Kiddo: Roll the filled donut in the powdered sugar to coat (it may take a couple of passes).
Eat! Light candles! Enjoy!
Language Time:
Baking together can be a language rich and bonding experience with your child. When baking these jelly doughnuts focus on key vocabulary such as “jelly”, “doughnut”, “dough”, “sugar”, “jam”, “oil” and different main actions such as “open”, “cut”, “roll”, “squeeze”, “brush” and “bake” and “eat”.
Before beginning the recipe, review all of your ingredients and the steps you will need to take to create these doughnuts. I always like to show a child a picture of the finished product (go online and print out different pictures of jelly doughnuts). You can even view pictures of different sizes, shapes, etc. During this exploration time with the recipe, ask your child questions such as “What is made of fruit and is sweet?” or “What is white and sweet?”. Also, take this time to taste test some of the ingredients that are safe to eat such as jam and a tiny bit of sugar. Ask your child to describe the taste of the ingredients, color, texture, etc.
Encourage as much language as possible during the baking activity. Make silly mistakes and give your child the opportunity to correct you. For example; fill the zip lock bag with jam but don’t cut a hole. How will the jam come out? What should we do? This can encourage problem solving and encourages language.
Give your child choices throughout the activity. Have them choose the type of jam they want to fill the doughnut with. Encourage taking turns for different steps such as opening the crescent roll can, choosing a jam, filling the doughnut and rolling the doughnut in the sugar. As you are baking, try not to ask too many “wh” questions. Use some fill in the blank prompts such as “Time to brush the dough with some ____” or give choices, “Should we roll the doughnut in sugar or jam?”.
Finally, discuss the meaning of the jelly doughnuts, Sufganiyot. These doughnuts are significant to a special holiday in November/December called Hanukkah. Encourage discussion of this holiday and the meaning of why it is traditional to eat Sufganiyot on Hanukkah.
Carryover Book to read during doughnut time: “If You Give A Dog A Donut” [1]
Becca Eisenberg is a mother of two young children and a speech language pathologist, author and instructor. Her website, www.gravitybread.com [2] encourages learning time during mealtime. On her website, she writes children’s book recommendations, app recommendations, as well as child friendly recipes with language tips their family.
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This post originally appeared on our November/December 2013 Magazine [13]