Sivan’s Kitchen and Super Sufganiyot

Sivan Kobi was born into a family of bakers. Her grandfather, her uncle and her father Paltiel Sherman were all European pastry chefs in Israel. 

In 1980, when Sivan was four years old, her parents moved to Los Angeles. Her father opened Sherman’s Bakery in Sherman Oaks. Her parents worked very hard and Sivan literally grew up in the bakery. Her parents went on to open a bakery in West Hills and another in Thousand Oaks. Her father started a very successful kosher style delicatessen called Sherman’s Deli, where 15-year-old Sivan began her career in the food world. 

After selling the bakery business, Sivan’s father opened an artisan bakery called Stone Ground. He was very proud to open the first account selling challah and babke to Trader Joe’s. 

Sadly, in 2008 her father passed away of a heart attack at the age of 57. 

Our friend Mickey of @mickeybakes introduced Sivan to Rachel and me. The three of us spent several hours at Urth Caffe in Beverly Hills comparing notes and sharing about our families. 

She told us that her entire childhood is filled with memories from the bakery. 

She grew up a “valley girl,” attending Jewish day schools.  She married her first love, a fellow Israeli-American after high school. She became a mom to her daughter Arielle at 19. She had her “prince” Yehuda a year later. Her family grew to include daughters Lorenne and Leaelle. And now she revels in being a grandma to her first grandchild. 

Over the years she worked as a Hebrew teacher’s assistant, fitness instructor, and owned a successful custom cake business. When the pandemic hit, she decided to finally share her passion for cooking and baking on Instagram with the handle @sivanskitchen. 

She worked really hard to master the art of making reels and her recipes quickly went viral. 

Her reels for rolled cookies filled with Nutella, her apple crumb cake and her apple squares all received over a million views. And her puff pastry apple recipe hit a record 6.5 million views!

—Sharon

My father would start frying Sufganiyot weeks before the holiday began and he would bring them to me to taste test. I miss that very much. -Sivan Kobi

My father took such pride in his baked goods and his bakery. Sherman’s Bakery made sufganiyot really popular and people started coming from all over California to try them. People still talk about his sufganiyot today. I remember every Hanukkah, how hard he would work frying sufganiyot from five o’clock in the morning until late at night. My father would start frying sufganiyot weeks before the holiday began and he would bring them to me to taste test. I miss that very much.

I’m so excited to share the BEST sufganiyot recipe with you! It’s my father’s recipe and the flavor is UNBELIEVABLE!

—Sivan Kobi 

Sivan told us that besides being famous for his challahs, sufganiyot were really his trademark. We’re thrilled to share the recipe. 

—Sharon

Sufganiyot Recipe

Yield 26 donuts
5 cups of all purpose flour
2 tablespoons of yeast
1 large egg
1/2 cup of sugar
1 stick of margarine or butter
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
2 cups of warm water

You’ll need:
Canola or avocado oil for frying
Red raspberry preserves for filling
Powdered sugar for sifting
Piping bag and spout

• In the bowl of a stand mixer, place flour, yeast, egg, sugar, butter, salt and vanilla and mix on low speed to create the dough.
• Slowly add water.
• As the dough incorporates the water, begin to mix on medium speed.
• When the dough has formed and looks moist, continue kneading for a minimum of 10-12 minutes. Remove the dough from mixer and form into a smooth ball.
• Place the dough back into the bowl, drizzle with a little oil and rub the outside of the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and a dish cloth and allow to proof for one-and-a-half hours.
• Line a baking sheet with 26 3-inch squares of parchment paper.
• Remove the dough from the bowl, release the air and make 60 gram balls (about the size of a tennis ball).
• Roll each ball and place on the baking sheet, then cover to proof another 25 to 30 minutes.
• Heat oil in a large frying pan to 365°F. (It’s very helpful to use a thermometer, which will ensure perfect donuts. If the oil is too hot, the donuts will be raw inside and If it’s too cold, they’ll be heavy and full of oil.)
• Place each ball WITH the paper into the hot oil. Remove the paper using tongs.
• Once the donuts are golden brown, flip them over.
• When donuts are completely golden brown, remove from oil and place onto a dish lined with paper towels to absorb excess oil.
• For baked sufganiyot: place donuts with the paper on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated oven at 350° for about 15-18 minutes.
• For air fried suvganiyot: place them in the basket with the paper, and bake at 340° for about 8 minutes.
• Fill piping bag with preserves and inject into the donut. You can inject from the side or from the top. Sift powdered sugar on top and enjoy warm and fresh.

Sharon Gomperts and Rachel Emquies Sheff have been friends since high school. The Sephardic Spice Girls project has grown from their collaboration on events for the Sephardic Educational Center in Jerusalem. Follow them on Instagram @sephardicspicegirls and on Facebook at Sephardic Spice SEC Food. Website sephardicspicegirls.com/full-recipes