Rayquaza Donut

Make the dough

1. Bloom the yeast. In a large bowl, whisk warm milk, yeast, and 1 teaspoon of the sugar (from the 1/3 cup). Let sit 5 to 8 minutes until foamy.

2. Build the wet mix. Whisk in remaining sugar, egg yolks, melted butter, and vanilla.

3. Add dry ingredients. Add all-purpose flour and salt. Mix with a spoon until shaggy, then knead 6 to 8 minutes (by hand or mixer) until smooth and elastic. The dough should feel soft and slightly tacky, but it should pull cleanly from the bowl and not behave like batter. Add flour 1 tablespoon at a time if needed.

4. First rise. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and rise 60 to 75 minutes until roughly doubled.

Cut and proof

1. Roll. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll to about 1/2-inch thick.

2. Cut donuts. Cut with a 3-inch cutter, then punch centers with a 1-inch cutter. Place on parchment-lined sheet pans with a little space between.

   Easy transfer tip: Cut the parchment into individual squares and place each donut on its own square. When it is time to fry, lift the donut by the parchment and lower it into the oil, then peel the parchment away with tongs after a few seconds. This helps prevent deflation.

3. Second rise. Cover loosely and let proof 25 to 35 minutes until puffy. When you gently poke the dough, it should slowly spring back. If it springs back instantly, it needs more time. If it does not spring back at all and looks fragile, it may be over-proofed and can deflate in the oil.

Fry

1. Heat oil. Fill a heavy pot with 2 to 3 inches of oil. Heat to 350°F.

2. Fry in batches. Carefully lower 2 to 3 donuts into the oil. Fry about 60 to 90 seconds per side. Color is your main cue: you want a deep golden brown, and timing will shift a bit depending on oil temp recovery and donut thickness.

   Flip once: Let the first side brown, flip one time, then finish the second side. Repeated flipping can lead to uneven color.

   Temp management: Between batches, pause and let the oil return to 350°F before adding more donuts.

3. Drain and cool. Transfer to a cooling rack. Cool at least 10 minutes before glazing so the glaze does not slide right off.

Glaze and decorate

1. Make the main green glaze. Whisk powdered sugar, milk, corn syrup, and vanilla until smooth. Tint with green gel food coloring (and a micro touch of blue if you want a deeper emerald). The texture should be thick but dippable. Add milk a few drops at a time if needed.

2. Dip. Dip each donut top into the green glaze, let excess drip off, then place back on the rack. Let set 5 to 10 minutes.

3. Make a darker green for segments. Spoon a small amount of glaze into a separate bowl and darken it with extra gel coloring (or a pinch of cocoa). Transfer to a piping bag or zip-top bag with the corner snipped.

4. Add the Rayquaza bands. Pipe loose curved lines across the donut to suggest the segmented body. Do not overthink it. Imperfect reads more organic.

5. Yellow accents. Mix powdered sugar with a little milk to make a thick icing, then tint yellow. Pipe tiny dots or small ring shapes along a couple of the darker bands.

6. Set. Let donuts sit 15 to 20 minutes until the icing firms up. If it is humid, give them a little extra time to air-dry. Let the glaze set fully before lidding for storage so you do not end up with accidental green tie-dye.