Ingredients:

DONUTS

1-1⁄2 cups Whole Milk, Warm 1⁄3 cups Sugar 1 tablespoon (one Package) Instant Or Active Dry Yeast 2-2⁄3 whole Large Eggs, Beaten 1-2⁄3 stick Unsalted Butter, melted 5-1⁄3 cups All-purpose Flour 1⁄3 teaspoons Salt

Shortening or vegetable oil for frying

GLAZE 1 quart Powdered Sugar 2⁄3 teaspoons Salt 2⁄3 teaspoons Vanilla 2⁄3 cups Cold Water Or Milk

Preparation

To Make the Dough:

1. Make sure milk is nice and warm, but not overly hot.
2. Add sugar to milk. Stir to dissolve.
3. Add yeast into a small bowl.
4. Pour milk/sugar mixture over yeast. Stir gently, then let sit for 10 minutes.
5. Melt butter in separate bowl until butter is almost melted. Stir to finish melting so the butter won’t be overly hot.
6. Add beaten eggs to melted butter, stirring constantly to make sure the butter’s not too hot for the eggs.
7. Add the egg/butter mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook.
8. With the mixer on 3 or medium-low speed, pour in the yeast mixture.
9. Allow the dough hook to stir this mixture for a couple of minutes, making sure it’s thoroughly combined.
10. With the mixer still going, add helpings of the flour mixture in 1/4 to 1/2 cup increments until all the flour is gone.
11. Stop the mixer, scrape the bowl, then turn the mixer on the same speed for five whole minutes.
12. After five minutes, stop the mixer and scrape the bottom of the bowl.
13. Turn on the mixer for 30 seconds.
14. Turn off the mixer and allow the dough to sit in the bowl undisturbed for 10 minutes.
15. After 10 minutes, transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl. Toss the dough to coat, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place straight in the fridge.
16. Refrigerate dough for at least 8 hours, or overnight.

To Make the Doughnuts:

1. Remove bowl from the fridge and turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface.
2. Roll out to 1/4 to 1/3-inch thickness.
3. Using a 3-inch cutter, cut as many rounds as you can, then roll out remaining dough and cut as much as you can, etc.
4. Cut holes out of each round using a 1 1/2-inch cutter.
5. Place both doughnuts and holes on a floured baking sheet.
6. Cover with a large tea towel and place in a warm place in your kitchen.
7. Allow doughnuts to rise undisturbed for at least 1 hour; 1 hour 15 minutes if necessary. Donuts should be visibly puffier and appear to be airy.

To Fry the Dougnuts

1. Heat plenty of vegetable shortening in a large pot until the temperature reaches 375 to 380 degrees— do not let it get hotter than 380 degrees! 375 is ideal; keep the thermometer in the pan to continuously monitor.
2. One or two at a time, gently grab doughnuts and ease them into the hot oil. Allow them to cook for about 1 minute on each side; they will brown very quickly.
3. Remove donuts from the oil with a slotted spoon, allowing all oil to drip off.
4. Place donut immediately on several layers of paper towels. Count to five, then flip it over onto a clean part of the paper towels. Count to five, then flip it over again
5. Repeat with remaining donuts and holes. The holes will cook more quickly than the donuts; about 30 seconds per side.
6. Allow doughnuts to slightly cool.

To Decorate

1. Mix together the icing ingredients, adding the liquid slowly to make sure you've got the right consistency.  You want it to be smooth and slightly runny, but not so runny that it slides off the donut!
2. Dip the tops of the donuts in the glaze, then dunk in the sprinkles (or whatever else you want to put on top)

 

Et voila!  The tricky part is not eating them all in one day...  But if you do, I ain't judgin!