Red Velvet Donuts with Glaze

Instructions

1. Stir the yeast into the warm water and let sit for 5 minutes.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine milk, sugar, and salt. Using a mixer with a paddle attachment, beat in eggs one at a time, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl after each addition.

3. Beat in shortening and 2 cups of flour.

4. In a small bowl, stir together cocoa powder and food coloring to make a paste.

5. Add food coloring paste to dough and mix well.

6. Keep adding flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until dough begins to pull away from sides of bowl.

7. Switch to a dough hook and knead dough for 5 to 8 minutes, until soft but not sticky.

8. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turning dough to coat it in oil.

9. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise until it doubles in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.

10. Fill a Dutch oven with about 2 inches of oil and heat to 350 degrees.

11. Cut dough into four pieces, and working 1 piece at a time, roll dough out on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of 1/4-inch. Use a 3-inch round cookie cutter and a small round cutter to cut donuts. You can use the small round cutter to make more donut holes out of the scraps.