Chanukah Donuts

DONUTS ( SUFGANIYOT) are perhaps the most well-known of the traditional Chanukah foods. They might seem simple from a Halachic perspective, but there are two important questions that come up.

1. What is the correct brocha rishonah and brocha acharonah on donuts?
2. Are donuts governed by the laws of Pas Yisroel or Bishul Yisroel?

THERE ARE 2 TYPES OF DONUTS: regular (fried) and cake. Regular donuts are made from yeast dough and deep fried in oil until cooked through. After the donut cools, filling can be inserted, and sugar or icing can be added to the top. Cake donuts, however, are made from a batter that has ingredients similar to cake and then fried or baked in the oven.

Regular fried donuts are the type most found in kosher grocery stores or bakeries, especially for Chanukah. Therefore, this article will focus on regular donuts and cake donuts will be addressed on another occasion.

What is the correct brocha rishonah?
At first glance, donuts should be no different than cake or pastry (pas hab’ah b’kisnin) where the brocha is clearly mezonos. However, in truth, they are not the same. Cake and pastries are made from a batter, while donuts are made with yeast dough. Even though they are often filled with chocolate, jelly, custard, etc., the filling is only added after the donut is completely fried. For these reasons, donuts are much more like bread than cake or pastry, hence the question of the correct brocha.

There is one area where donuts are very unlike bread. Donuts are deep fried, while bread is baked. Does this affect the status? The Shulchan Oruch (O”C 168:13) notes two opinions. The first opinion maintains that dough fried in oil is inherently not bread and is not hamotzi. The second opinion argues that it is still bread and the brocha is hamotzi. The Rema and the Mechaber both agree that the Halacha is in accordance with the first opinion. We can therefore conclude that the brocha rishonah on donuts is mezonos. Even if someone were to eat a lot of donuts (enough to be considered a seudah), the brocha would still be mezonos. Only cakes and pastries that are baked require hamotzi when a large quantity is consumed. However, donuts, which are deep fried, are always mezonos, regardless of the quantity.

What about a Yarei Shomayim?
The Shulchan Oruch goes on to explain that even though the Halacha follows the first opinion, nevertheless a Yarei Shomayim should consider both opinions and, therefore, to avoid the safeik, should only eat fried dough after first making hamotzi on regular bread.

Does this mean that a Yarei Shomayim should therefore not eat Chanukah donuts without first eating regular bread? This is a much more complicated question and is beyond the scope of this article to address in depth. There is a strong Halachic case to be made that if one is eating less than the amount of a kevius seudah, even a Yarei Shomayim need not be concerned and may recite the brocha of mezonos.¹ If, however, one plans to eat the amount of a kevius seudah, there is room for a
Yarei Shomayim to be strict and they should consult a competent Rov as to which brocha rishonah to make.²

What is the correct brocha acharonah?
As stated above, the Halacha is dough fried in oil is mezonos. It should then follow that the brocha acharonah would be al hamichya. However, The Magen Avraham (ibid 34) notes that since there are two opinions, and since Birkas Hamazon is a mitzvah d’oraisa (Biblical obligation), we must be machmir (s’feika d’oraisa l’chumra). Therefore, if one eats enough to become satisfied Birkas Hamazon is required. If, however, one eats less than this amount, the obligation of Birkas Hamazon would only be mi’d’rabbanan (Rabbinic), so it would not be recited. Instead, one recites al hamichya.

The Mishna Berurah however ( ibid) understands this Magen Avraham to apply only when one’s original intention was to bake the dough and only afterwards changed his mind and fried it. If his intention was always to fry the dough, the brocha acharonah is al hamichya, even if one ate enough to be satisfied.

We can therefore conclude that with our typical Chanukah donuts, if one eats less than the amount to make one satisfied, the brocha acharonah is al hamichya. If, however, one plans to eat to the point of satiety, it would be best to eat them as part of a seudah so as to avoid the the safeik of which brocha acharonah to make.

Are donuts subject to the laws of Pas Yisroel or Bishul Yisroel?
The answer depends on the two opinions in the Shulchan Oruch that were mentioned earlier. According to the opinion that fried dough is not bread, donuts would not be subject to the laws of Pas Yisroel; they would be subject to the laws of Bishul Yisroel. According to the opinion that fried dough is Halachically bread, donuts would be subject to the laws of Pas Yisroel. This categorization is very important because when something is defined as Pas it can be subject to the leniency of Pas Palter which is permissible when produced in a professional bakery. If, however, it is defined as a cooked item, there is no such leniency and all products that meet the requirements for Bishul Yisroel must be Bishul Yisroel to be kosher.

As mentioned, the Halacha follows the opinion that fried dough is not bread. Does this mean that donuts are required to be Bishul Yisroel? If a non-Jew turned on the deep fryer and cooked the donuts, may one eat the donuts? This would depend on whether donuts are considered oleh al shulchan melochim (fit for a king’s table). The OK policy is to follow the more stringent opinion that donuts are considered oleh al shulchan melochim and are required to be Bishul Yisroel.

1 See Shulchan Oruch HaRav Siman 168. See also Seder Birchas HaNehenin, ch. 2. See also V’zos HaBrocha 101.
2 Shulchan Oruch HaRav’s final psak is that there is no need to be machmir.