Spudnuts Doughnuts

From Internet, modified by Allen Drake 6-20-2019

Original was from: https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/idaho-spudnuts/

Ingredients:

2-1/3 cups instant potato flakes, water added

1-1/2 cups warm milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1.5 teaspoons salt

7-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast (fast rising)

Additional oil to use in deep-fat fryer (cook at 360 degrees)

For glaze:

2-pound package confectioners' sugar (8 cups)

2/3 cup milk (plus some water)

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon salt

Directions:

Mix potato flakes with enough water to make them look like mashed potatoes. Add eggs, milk, oil, sugar, and salt and blend.

Add part of the flour (roughly 5 cups) and blend. Then add fast-rising yeast. Gradually add more flour, mixing (with a dough hook?) until the dough has the consistency of “Play Dough”. Rising is not needed until after the doughnuts are formed.

To form each doughnut, I make a ball of dough about the size of a golf ball, flatten it in my (floured) hands until about a half inch thick, and pinch a hole in it with my fingers, and lay it on a floured cookie sheet for rising. Repeat this for all of the doughnuts. Let rise in a warm place until they look somewhat puffy (45 minutes?). Then fry according to the following frying directions.

(The following is the classic way to form the doughnuts: Roll out on a floured surface to 1/2-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 3-in. doughnut cutter.)

In an electric skillet or deep-fat fryer, heat oil to 360°. Fry doughnuts, a couple at a time, until golden brown, perhaps 1 minute on each side.

For glaze, in a large bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar, milk, salt and vanilla, adding some water (maybe a half cup?) until smooth and the desired consistency. Dip warm doughnuts in glaze. Hang drip into a big bowl or cool on wire racks.

Notes from Allen Drake: This recipe makes about 26 to 40 large doughnuts.