• Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water and let it stand for 5 minutes or until foamy**. In a stand mixer, mix 2 cups of the flour, milk, sugar, salt, eggs, shortening, and yeast mixture until well mixed (takes just a minute on low speed).
• **If using SAF Instant yeast, you can skip this step and add it directly into the mixer, without waiting for it to foam.
• Beat in the rest of the flour, ½ cup at a time, until the dough doesn't stick to the sides of the bowl anymore.
• NOTE: I added a couple tablespoons more flour, until the dough quit sticking. Once it is at that stage, knead for about 5 minutes.
• Place the dough in a greased (I use cooking spray) bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and sit it in a very warm part of your kitchen for an hour, or until the dough doubles in size.
• NOTE: I preheat my oven to WARM, then turn it off. I put the dough into the cozy oven, and the dough rose in less than an hour!
• Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and gently roll it out to ½" thickness. Cut with a floured doughnut cutter (or use an empty pineapple can and a smaller biscuit cutter for the hole). Set cut out donuts on a square of parchment paper that you lightly sprayed with cooking spray. This will help you tremendously when it comes time to lift the donuts into the cooking oil.
• Spray the tops of the donuts with a little cooking spray and cover loosely with plastic wrap for a second rising (takes about 45 minutes to an hour).
• Heat vegetable oil in a deep fryer (or electric frying pan) to 350 (I cooked mine at 375) and gently lower donuts into oil. Fry until they turn nice and golden then flip them.
• NOTE: Monitoring the heat of the oil is essential. My first doughnut cooked very fast, and dark because the oil was pretty hot!
• Drain cooked donuts on a baking rack and before they cool all the way down, dip them in a simple sugar glaze (or cinnamon sugar).

SIMPLE SUGAR GLAZE (totally amazing recipe)

• Mix everything together (starting with 3 tablespoons hot water, then adding the last tablespoon if you need it).
• NOTE: I found that my first doughnuts had tiny clumps of powdered sugar in the glaze. I simply strained the glaze into a new bowl, and all was well.
• NOTE: If you use electric frying pan you can better regulate the temperature (and it doesn't take as much oil as a deep fryer).