Fried Yeast Doughnuts

So this is a recipe for fried yeast doughnuts as well as a chocolate topping.  (makes about half a dozen doughnuts and a about 8-10 doughnut holes)

1 packet yeast

1/6 c sugar (if your measuring cup doesn't have a 1/6 marker, look at 1/3 and do about half)

1/2 tbsp sugar

1/4 melted butter or veg oil

1/2 c warm water

2 c flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 soy milk

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

oil for frying

1. In a small glass bowl, mix 1 pkg yeast and 1/2 tbsp of sugar and set aside for 10 minutes
2. In another small bowl, mix the 2c flour and 1/4 tsp of salt
3. In a third, larger, bowl, mix the 1/6 c sugar, 1/8 c melted butter/oil, and 1/4 tsp vanilla
4. Add the yeast mix to the sugar mix
5. Slowly add in the flour  mix until firm dough forms
6. cover and let sit for 1 hour
7. once your dough has risen, on a floured surface knead for about a minute, adding flour as needed
8. roll out to 3/4" thickness (that's fairly thick- almost an inch)
9. Cover and let rise for another 20 minutes until doubled in size
10. Cut out your shapes (a round cookie cutter and a smaller cookie cutter would be perfect, though I used a candy corn shaped cookie cutter from a halloween set and a mini shot glass for the hole) and fry (oil is hot enough when dough floats) until browned on both sides 

It's a good idea to drain it on a cloth to get excess oil off- and then you can top it with whatever you like! If you want to make filled doughnuts then form a thicker ball of dough, slightly like a semi flat oval. Once it's done cooking let it cool completely before adding the filling. I admit, I cheated and used regular 'classic white' icing from the store. Use an icing bag or press with a long pointy tip to puncture the doughnut and fill as much as you like. You can then top it with the following chocolate recipe:

1. In a small pan, bring 1/4 c soy milk to a simmer
2. add in 4oz of chocolate chips (that's usually about 1/3 of the bag)
3. once melted add 2 tbsp sugar (or about 1/8 c powdered sugar) and 2 tbsp maple or golden syrup
4. once mixed and melted, remove from heat. Do not chill or it will be too firm to dip doughnuts in

You may also brush with butter and top with cinnamon and sugar. Next time I'll experiment with fruit fillings! 

(chocolate recipe slightly adapted from a recipe in Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World)