Heat the milk to 110º F. I used the microwave to do this.

In a medium sized bowl, add the 3/4 of a cup of the warm milk and 2 tablespoons of the yeast. Mix with a spoon to dissolve the yeast.

Add 3/4 cup of flour and mix with a spoon until a paste develops.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in a warm place for 30 minutes or so. I put the bowl on top of a running clothes dryer and draped a towel over the bowl to trap more heat.

After 30 minutes, the dough will have risen.

In a stand mixer's bowl add the remaining 1/4 cup of milk and 1 tablespoon of yeast. Mix together with a spoon.

Scrape in the risen dough mixture into the stand mixer bowl.

Add the egg yolks, vanilla, salt, and sugar.

Attach a beater / paddle attachement and mix until it becomes smooth.

Add in 1/2 cup of flour with the mixer turned off. Mix for 30 seconds.

Add in the butter and mix for 30 seconds.

Fit your mixer with a dough hook attachment. Add 1/4 cup of flour and mix. Repeat this step of adding 1/4 cup of flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of mixing bowl. Because of humidity you may need less or more flour than I did.

Here you can see that the dough pulled away from the sides of the bowl and formed a ball. To know when it is done, touch the dough. If the dough is incredibly sticky, then add a little extra flour. You want the dough to be smooth and not too sticky.

Detach the mixing bowl from the stand mixer and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for up to 12 hours.

After 12 hours in the refrigerator, empty the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.

Roll out the dough starting from the center, going outwards in each direction until the dough is 1/2" thick.

Use a donut cutter to press into the dough. Then make a quarter turn so the dough separates easily. When you lift up the donut cutter you will have a donut shape with a hole of dough to remove from the center. If you don't have a donut cutter, you can use the top of a coffee mug like I did. As long as the diameter is 3" it will work well. To make the inner circle I used the lid from a little bottle of sprinkles. You could probably also use the top from a spice jar lid or use a bottle cap. Whatever you use to make the inner circle, you should have a diameter of about 1". Note: If you want to make a filled donut, then don't cut out the middle!

Here is a closeup of the donuts ready for rising.

Lay down some clean towels and dust them with flour. Place your donuts on the floured towels about 1" apart.

At this point, add in the oil to your fryer so it is a couple inches deep and then turn it on and set it for 360º F. This way the oil is heating up while the donuts proof:

Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot to rise for 5-20 minutes, or until they have doubled in size. You can test if they are ready by giving them a light touch. If the dough springs back fast they need more time to rise. If the dough springs back slowly, then they are ready to fry. Test them every 5 minutes.

Fry the donuts, no more than 2 at a time on each side until golden and slightly brown. This should take anywhere between 30 seconds to 1 minute per side. Keep an eye on them, checking the color. I used a pair of wooden chopsticks to flip and remove them. You could also use a metal strainer / spoon.

Dab the donuts on some paper towels and then place the donuts on a wire rack over paper towels to cool.

How to Make a Donut Glaze

For a simple sugar glaze for your donuts you will need:

• 1.5 cups of sifted confectioners sugar
• 3-4 tablespoons water
• 1-2 teaspoons vanilla extract (optional)

In a pot or medium sized bowl, add the sugar and slowly mix in the vanilla and water until you have a smooth glaze.

Dip either one side of the donut into the glaze or cover both sides.

Here is what the homemade glazed donut looks like. From here you could add additional toppings like toasted coconut.

How to Make a Chocolate Donut Glaze

For a chocolate glaze for your donuts you will need:

• 1.5 cups of sifted confectioners sugar
• 4 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 teaspoons water

In a medium sized bowl add the sugar and cocoa powder.

Slowly mix in the vanilla and water until you have a smooth glaze.

Here is the smooth chocolate glaze for your donuts. Dip either one side of the donut into the glaze or cover both sides.

Here is what a donut looks like with the chocolate glaze and sprinkles.

How to Make a Jelly Filled Donut

For a jelly filled donut you will need:

• Raspberry Jam
• Confectioners sugar
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 teaspoons water

Using a chopstick or something similar, poke a hole in the side of the donut and twist around to make an opening to fill the donut. At this point it would be great for you to have a pastry filler or food syringe you can fill with the raspberry jam to inject into the donut. Once the raspberry jam is in the donut, gently sift some powdered confectioners sugar over the donut.

Now that you have learned how to make how to make donuts, please be sure to view these other donuts recipes.