Raised Doughnuts Made With Yeast

With Lent less than a week away, let's tempt our taste buds with one of my favorite doughnuts, a raised donut made with yeast.  They can be made in any shape or size but I prefer these doughnuts to the cake doughnuts.

While most recipes for this doughnut call for a dollop of honey, I can't make these because my daughter is allergic to honey.  In place of the honey, I use maple syrup.  It doesn't alter the taste that much but does give you the sweetness that comes from the honey.

To make these doughnuts, you combine 2 cups of warm water, a package of dry yeast and 1 teaspoon of maple syrup in a large mixing bowl.  Cover with a linen towel and let raise until bubbly.

Add 2 eggs, beaten, 3/4 cups sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon lemon extract and 1 stick melted butter to the yeast mixture.  Add flour until the mixture is no longer sticky.  Cover with your linen towel and let raise.  Punch down.

Roll out the dough and cut with doughnut cutter.  Place doughnuts on cookie sheet, cover and let raise.  Fry in your deep fryer placing the raised side down first.  Turn over when the doughnut raises to the surface.  Place doughnuts on brown papered surface and coat with sugar or glaze.

This is the same dough that you would use to make the Polish version of doughnuts, Paczki for Shrove Tuesday.

These doughnuts can be frozen and eaten at a later time if you make too many.