Homemade Doughnuts

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Homemade Doughnuts
2 quarts cooking oil (or lard)
1 tbs dry active yeast
1/3 cup sugar, plus more for coating doughnuts
3 1/4 cups flour, plus more for rolling and shaping
1 egg
4 tbs butter, softened
1/2 tsp sea salt
Dissolve yeast in 1 cup of warm water. Let sit about 5 min until the yeast foams a bit.
Beat in 2 cups of the flour, sugar, egg, butter, and salt. Add the remaining 1 1/4 cups flour 1/4 cup at a time until the dough starts pulling away from the sides of the bowl.

Cover bowl with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let sit in a warm place until the dough doubles in bulk, about 2 hours. Alternatively, the dough can be chilled overnight.
Punch down the dough and turn it onto a floured surface. Roll dough to about 1/2-inch thick and use a large round biscuit cutter (a drinking glass works too) to cut circles and a smaller round cutter to cut out the holes.
Cover doughnuts (and holes) and let rise until puffy looking, about 2 hours.

Alternatively, the cut doughnuts can be placed on floured baking sheets, cover, and chill the cut dough overnight.
Heat an inch or two of oil or lard in a large heavy pot to 350° to 375° degrees. Set a cooling rack over a baking sheet and put them near the pot. Put about a cup of sugar in a medium bowl and have that handy as well.
Add 3 or 4 doughnuts (or 8 to 10 doughnut holes) to the oil.

They should sizzle immediately as they are added to the fat. Cook doughnuts until light brown on one side. Use tongs or a slotted spoon to flip the doughnuts, cook until the second side is light brown.

Transfer cooked doughnuts to cooling rack and let cool/drain for a few minutes. Dip doughnuts into sugar to coat. Repeat with remaining doughnuts.

Serve warm if at all possible. Makes 18 doughnuts

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