Di's Donuts

As much as I would like to, I cannot claim these donuts as my own. I got the recipe in my Foods class in high school. I never went to class, in fact, I missed the day that they did these donuts. I got the recipe and through many years of trial and error, I think I finally have it right. Because they have potato in them, they are actually Spudnuts.

Spudnuts:
2 pkg yeast
1/2 c. warm water
2 c. scalded milk, cooled
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. shortening
1/2 c. instant mashed potatoes ( I find the potato flakes rather than the pearls mix in better and taste better)
2 eggs slightly beaten
2 t. salt
1 t. vanilla
1 t. lemon extract (DO NOT substitute lemon juice. The extract is a MUST!)
1 t. nutmeg
1 t. mace
6 c. flour, divided
Prep the yeast by adding it to the water and letting it sit for five minutes. During this time, I heat the milk for 2 minutes in a microwave-safe dish in the microwave for 2 minutes. Then I add the instant potatoes to the milk to let it cool faster. (I like to use a Bosch mixer with the kneading hook when I make these, but a Kitchen Aid would work. Up until last year I always made them by hand, so that would work too. ) Mix all ingredients together except for 3 cups of the flour. Mix until smooth. Add the remaining 3 cups of flour. Cover and rise until double. FOLD the dough together (punching it down will keep the donuts from puffing up as much in the grease, and that's not good!), and let it rise until doubled again. Roll dough until 1/2" thick. Cut into donut shapes either with a donut cutter or a round cookie cutter and a smaller, round cutter for the middle. Let them rise for at least another 30 minutes.
Prepare the fryer by adding oil and heating it to 375 degrees. Drop into the fryer turning until both sides are golden. Using the handle of a wooden spoon through the hole of the donut, dip the donut in the glaze while they are still hot. This is a two-person operation. One person to cook the donuts, the other to glaze them.
Glaze:*
1 2 lb. bag Powdered sugar 1 t.Vanilla HOT water
*The glaze is a little bit tricky. The glaze will thicken as it cools, so you want to keep the glaze warm, and dip the donuts in it while they are still hot. It takes a LOT of sugar. I use about one 2 lb. bag of powdered sugar for every batch of donuts sometimes more. Pour the sugar into a microwave-safe bowl, add Vanilla, then very carefully and slowly add hot water while whisking being careful not to add too much. Whisk until all the lumps are gone and it has the consistancy of syrup. If you do add too much water, then add more sugar. If the glaze starts to thicken too much while you are still cooking the donuts, stick it in the microwave for 30 seconds.
Enjoy!
Honestly, I think the donuts are even better on the second day, so don't get discouraged if they don't all get eaten right away... like they wouldn't!! ;) Questions?