• Separate your egg yolks and allow them to warm at room temperature 10 to 15 minutes.

  Make sure all your ingredients are warm including your flour (If you keep it in the freezer let it warm to room temperature before mixing.)

Mix and Knead

• Add the flour, instant yeast, sugar, and salt to a large bowl and mix well.
• On the stove or in the microwave, warm the milk and butter to just above lukewarm: About 110 degrees if you have a thermometer. It should feel warm but not hot when you put your finger in it.
• Add to the flour mixture and add the egg yolks. Stir to combine. The dough will be quite shaggy at first.
• Using your hands, gently knead the dough in the bowl until it begins to smooth out a bit: 6 to 10 times then add no more than 1-2 tablespoons of flour to your countertop and transfer the dough to it. Lightly flour your hands and knead the dough until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.
• Return the dough to the bowl and spray with cooking spray or drizzle with 1/4 teaspoon of oil and pat it all over the surface. Cover with a clean towel and let rise until just puffed: About 30 minutes.

Cut and Second Rise

• On a lightly floured surface (no more than 1 tablespoon flour), roll the dough to an 11-inch circle. Use any 3-inch size cutter: A glass, a tin can or a biscuit cutter to make circles and cut the smaller circles that are about 1"-1 1/2" across. I used the wide end of a piping tip. Bottle caps are also good for this.
• Gently gather your scraps and let the dough rest 4 or 5 minutes before rolling again. Cut one or two more donuts but don't re-roll the dough a third time.
• Transfer the donuts to a parchment paper lined baking tray large enough to hold them all, or use two. I used a half sheet pan.
• Place them 2 to 3 inches apart so they don't touch when they bake.
• Cover the donuts with greased plastic wrap or a very damp towel and let rise until nearly doubled--45 to 60 minutes at 75 degrees or just over an hour for 60-65 degrees.

Bake

• Preheat the oven to 350 about 15 minutes before you're ready to bake. Move your oven rack to the center.
• Bake on the center rack about 6 minutes then see if they are still too doughy to touch. If they are, bake two minutes more. If they can be handled, flip them over and bake 5 to 6 minutes more but don't try to bake them until golden brown or they will dry out.
• Transfer to a wire rack and immediately brush with melted butter and dip in to cinnamon sugar, or skip the melted butter and dip straight into your choice of chocolate or vanilla glaze.