FIRST. Start with a basic dough recipe. Ordinary ingredients here : whole milk + yeast + sugar + eggs + salt + butter + flour. Whole milk is a must for the most tender dough– ok. Likewise: the eggs too. And melted butter. You could use softened butter, but melted butter really infuses the dough with its flavor. 

Let the dough rise, then roll out to be about 1/2 inch thick. Cut it out with a doughnut cutter.

Line the doughnuts up on a couple baking sheets, then cover with a towel and allow to rest as you get the oil heated. Pour a quart or 2 of oil into a heavy-bottomed pot to prevent oil from getting too hot

Fry a couple doughnuts at a time, only about a minute on each side until they’re golden. Amazing right?