In your mixer, with your paddles, add the yeast, milk and 2 C flour and mix until smooth.
Then let it rest, covered, in a warm spot for 20 mins.
Mix to deflate
Add the sugar, salt, vanilla, eggs and egg yolks and mix on low until smooth!
add 1 1/2 more cups flour and mix until smooth
add the softened butter and mix until incorporated.
Switch over to a dough hook.
Now you'll start adding the rest of the flour, 1/2 cup at a time.
Keep adding flour and mixing on low until the dough pulls away from the sides. It will still be very moist, and a little sticky, but not too much. Keep kneading until the dough can be stretched without breaking
Put the dough in a greased bowl and cover the dough and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, up to 12.
Prep some pans by lining them with plastic wrap and spray them down with some no stick spray, like Pam. Or second option is to cut parchment squares
Start heating 2 inches of oil over medium/high.
Pull the dough out and place on a lightly floured surface. Flour the top and roll out the dough...
For traditional donuts you want to roll it out 1/2 inch thick.
Dip your cutter in flour (do this each time)
Press the cutter all the way down, the twist a bit, then pull up.
Place the donuts and the donut holes on the plastic wrap, make sure there is space between each one, or place onto parchment squares.
Spray some more plastic with pam and cover the donuts, let them proof/rise for 5-20 mins
You want the oil to be at 360 degrees, for me I maintained 360 between medium and medium/high. I recommend a fryer so it holds the temperature for you.
Check the dough every 5 mins by pressing a finger into the dough and if it springs back fast it needs more time, springs back slowly and it's ready!
Fry for about a min on each side. For me 1 min on the first side and 45 seconds on the second worked best. If your using the parchment squares you can slide the whole square into the oil so you don't stretch out the dough
Flip to the second side carefully, you don't want to splash hot oil everywhere, I used a wide slotted flipper.
Pull out and let drain on a wire rack over paper towels (I like to do it in a jelly roll pan to keep the grease contained.
And now you're ready for the glaze!
Toppings/glaze
Mix the cinnamon and sugar and roll the donuts in while hot.
For the vanilla and maple glazes just mix the ingredients in a bowl
for the Chocolate glaze melt the chocolate and butter together, then stir in the other ingredients.