To Make the Doughnuts: 1. Whisk the milk, yeast, and 1 teaspoon of sugar together in a small bowl. Set it aside for about 10 minutes, until frothy. 2. In another bowl, beat the butter and remaining sugar together until creamy. 3. Add vanilla and salt. 4. Then add yeast mixture to the butter mixture. 5. Add flour, about 1/2 cup at a time, until a soft dough forms (about 3 1/2 cups total). 6. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. 7. Put dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover it with a damp tea towel. Place the bowl in a warm spot to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour. 8. Punch the dough down, then roll the dough to about 1/2 inch thick. 9. Use a doughnut cutter or biscuit cutter or just a thing you can find.. cut the dough into doughnut shapes. 10. Reroll the excess dough and repeat until all of the dough has been cut. 11. Put doughnuts on a baking sheet. Cover them with a damp tea towel and place them in a warm spot to rise until puffy, about 1 hour. 12. Heat the oil. 13. Add doughnuts to the oil, being very careful not to splash!! Avoid crowding the pot. 14. Let the doughnuts cook for 1 to 2 minutes, flip and cook 1 to 2 minutes more, until ✨golden✨on both sides and puffy. 15. Use a slotted spoon to remove the doughnuts from the pot. Then put them onto paper towel-lined plates to drain and cool. 16. While they cool, heat sugar water mixture (1 part water, 2 parts sugar). You will know when it’s ready when you put a straw or toothpick into the mixture and then into ice water and the sugar becomes brittle and crunchy!! 17. Using fingertips, dip your donuts into the sugar mixture but BE CAREFUL! This is hot sugar and if it touches you you will cry.. so like I said BE CAREFUL!!!!! 18. Final step is to let sugar cool on the donuts then fill them with a vegan custard of choice..
