German Fastnachts With Potato - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 packet yeast, dissolved in
1/2 cup warm water, with
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup hot mashed potatoes
1 cup sugar
1 cup water, that the potatoes were boiled in (lukewarm)
1 cup all-purpose flour
AFTER THE ABOVE HAS RISEN ADD
1 cup sugar
1 cup lukewarm water or 1 cup milk
3/4 cup melted butter
3 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon salt
5 cups sifted flour, for stiff dough (about)

Preparation

Dissolve the yeast in the 1/2 cup warm water with 1 tsp of sugar.
Mix potatoes, sugar, potato water and flour; add yeast dissolved in water.
Let rise in a warm place for several hours.
Then add 1 cup sugar, 1 cup lukewarm water or milk, 3/4 cup melted butter, 3 eggs, salt and about 5 cups flour for stiff dough.
Turn onto a well floured board and knead for about 3 to 5 minutes.
Add a small amount of extra flour if necessary so the dough can be handled without sticking to your fingers.
Grease a large bowl.
Place the dough in the greased bowl.
Cover with a thin towel, and let rise in a warm, draft free place for about 2 hours or until it is at least double in size.
Now, according to all my instruction, you're supposed to let the dough rise again for another hour or two, but that means you'd be fussing with these things all day; figure it out; this would be its third rising, with another to come; I think at this point I'd be reckless and divide the dough in thirds and start rolling it out.
What matters if you do have a few large holes in your fastnachts?
Take your choice, rise or roll.
I'd try rolling the dough to about 3/4 inch thickness.
Fastnachts have a traditional diamond shape; cut them into diamonds with a knife.
Another essential is to cut a slit across the top of each fastnacht with a sharp knife.
Let the fastnachts rise, covered, in a warm place, till they're springy to the touch; when they're quite fat and puffy, drop them with the raised side down into fat that is hot enough to brown a bread cube-375 degrees.
Fry on both sides.
If you don't want that many fried cakes you might try baking some in a hot oven as rolls.
Food that Really Schmecks.