In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, eggs, and sugar, and whisk them swiftly together.

Turn the heat on to medium level and warm up the ingredients until they are lukewarm to touch or they reach 100° Fahrenheit or 38° Celsius.

Turn the heat off and add the yeast. Quickly whisk the ingredients together and let the mixture rest for about 5-10 minutes to let the yeast activate. You should see bubbles forming at the top.

In the meantime, using a small saucepan, melt the butter over a low heat just until it starts liquifying. Don't overheat the butter nor burn it.

Let the butter cool for at least 10 minutes.

In a separate stand mixer bowl or a regular large mixing bowl, combine the flour and the salt. Mix the flour and the salt together and then add the vanilla and orange zest.

Pour in the mixture of yeast, eggs, milk, and sugar to the flour, and mix all the ingredients together with a spoon. Add the vodka or apple cider vinegar and mix some more. Once combined, use the dough hook on your stand mixer to begin kneading the dough. You can also knead the dough with your hands by pulling and folding the dough as you knead.

Keep kneading the dough until it starts pealing off the walls of your bowl and your hands.

Slowly start adding the melted butter as you continue kneading. If you're using a stand mixer, reduce the speed to low as you pour in the melted butter.

Continue kneading for another 5-10 minutes, or until your dough becomes smooth and elastic.

Once you achive a uniform consistency in your dough, cover it with a clean dish towel and let it rest in a warm place on the kitchen counter for at least 30 minutes or until it doubles in size. Don't over-rest your dough, maximum an hour is all you need.

Once your dough has rested, start shaping your donuts.

For smaller donuts like mine, tear about 30 grams or 1 oz of dough (for regular size tear about 50 to 60 grams or about 2 oz per donut) and shape a small ball to form your donut. Repeat until you use up your dough. You can also refrigerate half a portion of the dough covered in plastic food wrap for the next day if you want more fresh donuts later.

Place your shaped donuts on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper so they don't stick to the surface.

Cover your formed donuts with a clean kitchen towel and let them rest for 30 minutes.

In a medium pot heat up the sunflower seed oil until it reaches about 340° Fahrenheit or 170° Celsius.

Reduce the heat to low and gently place 3-4 donuts at a time (depending on their size) in the pot and fry them until they start to turn golden at the bottom (about 1 minute on each side) and then flip them to the other side to fry until both sides are golden.

Make sure to check the temperature of your frying oil from time to time so it does not exceed 180° Celsius or 350° Fahrenheit. Temperature is very important when frying your donuts. If you notice little bubbles forming on the surface of your donuts while frying, your temperature is too high.

When your donuts are done frying, place them on a cooling rack lined with paper towels to absorb the excess oil.

Once cooled, sprinkle them with powdered or confectionary sugar, or glaze them.

If you want to add a filling to your donut, you can use a large metal straw to pierce a hole.

Then use a pastry piping bag or a dispenser to fill your donut with your favorite filling.

Enjoy!!!